Planning board approves minor modification at 125 Union Street to allow Shake Shack

The Town of Braintree Planning Board on Feb. 10 approved a requested minor modification to planning file 23 0 1 for 125 Union Street that will allow a smaller easterly building to be constructed for the Shake Shack restaurant.

Frank Marinelli, representing Torrington, told the board the easterly building would be reduced to 3,416 square feet and would include an outdoor patio, while the previously approved westerly building (10,325 square feet) remains unchanged to house other tenants. Marinelli said a peer‑reviewed traffic analysis found the Shake Shack proposal would generate roughly 52% fewer average weekday vehicle trips and about 44% fewer Saturday trips compared with the originally approved Chick‑fil‑A use. "The current site development with Shake Shack will result in approximately 52% less average weekday vehicle trips and approximately 44% less trips on Saturday," Marinelli said.

The developer also reported it has completed substantial off‑site improvements, including about $1,200,000 in intersection work and a sidewalk parallel to the MBTA line to improve pedestrian access. Marinelli said the project team submitted a traffic memorandum from a traffic engineer and that the town’s peer reviewer concurred with the findings.

Board members focused on parking and site design. The site’s zoning approval previously granted a variance down to 94 parking spaces from a required 114; the applicant said 83 spaces will be provided under the revised plan and that the change in tenant mix (including a veterinary use) reduced the calculated parking demand. The applicant said impervious cover is reduced by about 0.3% and internal landscape area increases by about 0.2% compared with the earlier modification.

Will Poppy, Shake Shack’s northeast director of operations, said an opening would typically take about five months from groundbreaking, dependent on health and other departmental approvals, and the team estimated typical drive‑through queue lengths of about 15 cars. Poppy added that Shake Shack will coordinate with local police two weeks before opening and said the company has previously engaged police details when needed.

Member Connolly moved to approve the requested minor modification; Member Kane seconded the motion. The board voted in favor.

The approval implements the reduced building footprint and retains the off‑site mitigation commitments required under the site’s earlier approvals. There was no public hearing on this item; the board treated it as a minor modification, and the applicant will proceed with final construction permitting and tenant build‑outs.