HADLEY — A longstanding concern of town officials about patrons of a Route 9 coffee shop parking along the historic Town Common may soon be resolved.
The Planning Board is expecting to be presented with site plans that, if approved, would expand the existing parking lot at Esselon Cafe, located at 99 Russell St.
Since its opening in June 2006, parking has been a challenge, with insufficient space in the main lot causing an overflow onto West Street, even though businesses in Hadley are legally required to provide enough parking for their customers. Unlike Northampton and Amherst, Hadley offers no municipal parking for businesses.
The limited parking, which is also within the 50-foot setback of Route 9, is an issue that Esselon owner Mark Krause told the board at its July 23 meeting he hopes to address by adding customer parking at 97 Russell St., the former Hadley Auto Service, an adjacent property he acquired in May 2018.
Planning Board Clerk William Dwyer said Tuesday that a new parking lot will require a site plan review hearing because it is considered a new use for that parcel.
“One of the triggers for site plan approval is a change of use,” Dwyer said.
Before submitting plans, Dwyer said Krause will likely need to get information from the state’s Department of Transportation about where curb cuts will be located and will need to provide elevations and a drainage plan.
Since Krause bought the neighboring property, he had inquired about whether the former Hadley Auto Service building could be used as part of Esselon’s production in roasting beans. Planners, though, said he would immediately need to bring the full site into compliance if that happened. Since then, the building has only been used for storage.
Dwyer said if the new parking is approved, the board likely would couple that with a requirement that “no parking” signs be installed along the Town Common.
If the parking issues can be corrected, Dwyer said it would be reminiscent of what occurred at Alina’s Ristorante, at 96 Russell St., on the opposite side of the road, the former Carmelina’s. For many years, customers at that restaurant parked along the Town Common. That changed when a home on the west side of the restaurant was razed and the parking lot was expanded.
Meanwhile, planners have given authorization for Krause to allow Steve Lewis Subaru, the car dealership at 315 Russell St., to use the former auto service garage as a repair shop, so long as no customers drop off vehicles and only employees are allowed on site. Dwyer said the board waived site plan review for that aspect because repairs have been a traditional use for that building.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.