HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-02-11-COD-ltr(b)
Commission on Disability
C/o 18 Bates Road
Lexington, MA 02421
February 11, 2012
Department of Public Safety
Massachusetts Architectural Access Board
One Ashburnton Place, Room 1310
Boston, MA 02108-1618
RE: Panera Bread Café #1521
1684 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, MA 02420
To whom it may concern:
The Lexington store of Panera Bread at 1684 Massachusetts Avenue is requesting a
variance concerning their patio entrance to the parking lot. This entrance has been temporarily
blocked with a fence because there is a step from the patio down to the patio.
The Commission on Disability is opposed to the granting of this variance for the
following reasons:
The patio step is not accessible to those with mobility issues, and could be dangerous for
individuals who are visually impaired
If this step is allowed to be used, people will step off into turning traffic where cars are
going in and out of a busy lot on a busy street
For customers with young children, being open without the fence could mean that they
could dart out into traffic in the lot
There is another entrance into this patio area from the inside so the requested one is not
needed
There are other alternatives that have not been explored, such as changing the parking
spaces so the step could be ramped and made safer for all
Instead of the variance, the Commission supports the fence staying there blocking the step
entrance as it was suggested by Garry Rhodes, Lexington Building Commissioner.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Victoria Buckley
Cell phone 617-997-5472
Cc: Garry Rhodes, Building Commissioner, Town of Lexington; Linda Vine, Assistant Town Manager/ADA Coordinator, Town
of Lexington
Michael Schreiber, Owner contact for Turtle Bay LLC Michael@salterandkahn.com
Jessica Helbling, NORR Architects Jessica.helbling@norr.com