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Date: 9/12/2022
HOLYOKE – A new White Hut location in Holyoke will soon be a reality following the approval of a special permit from the City Council during their Sept. 1 meeting.
The special permit for a zone change application from Residential 2 (R-2) to Business Local (BL) was submitted earlier this year by Betlai LCC c/o Edison Yee, for a property located at 825 Hampden St. – the former PeoplesBank parking lot – to create continuity with the abutting parcel on which the former bank building sits, a move that would allow for the group to develop the new restaurant.
Yee is the principal managing partner of the Bean Restaurant Group, a local company that owns the iconic burger joint in West Springfield as well as the Student Prince in Springfield, and Johnny’s Bar and Grille, Johnny’s Tap Room, Iya Sushi and Noodle Kitchen, the Boathouse and the Halfway House in South Hadley, along with several other area establishments.
During the City Council meeting, councilors voiced support one final time in the open meeting setting before voting unanimously to approve the zone change and allow for the new White Hut location to begin setup with goals of opening in spring 2023. The restaurant plans to add 15 new jobs, full and part time to Holyoke, and will be open until 6 p.m. in the winter, and 7 p.m. during the summer.
At-Large Councilor Joseph McGiverin said he was in favor of the project and felt it was key to have a known developer in the region like the Bean Restautant Group and the Yee family bringing this new business to Holyoke.
“This building we don’t want to see vacant,” McGiverin said. “It’s just fantastic to see the Yees investing in Holyoke.”
Ward 5 Councilor Linda Vacon and At-Large Councilor Peter Tallman both voiced support for the project and the special permit being granted. Council President Todd McGee credited the Yee family for their continued professionalism throughout the project.
“He was already proactive on it [consideration of neighbors, parking],” said McGee. “I thank them for what they’re doing and also what they thought about the residents surrounding this area.”
Earlier in the week, Yee appeared before the Development and Government Relations (DGR) Committee during their Aug. 29 meeting for a final public hearing on the project. Councilor at Large and DGR Committee Chair Tessa Murphy-Romboletti said the hearing allows the members and public to understand the project’s scope better.
“This is a fantastic proposal, and it’s keeping the momentum going in that area,” said Ward 3 Councilor David Bartley during the DGR meeting.
Betlai, with the approval from City Council, will now purchase the property from PeoplesBank as the deal was contingent upon obtaining the special permit. Expectations from Yee at a past Planning Board hearing were that a majority of White Hut’s business will be takeout with few patrons dining in. There will be an estimated 18 seats available inside the location.
Betlai applied for a reuse permit for the building and adjacent parking lot on Pleasant Street. In addition, the company hired R. Levesque Associates for the planning process and a representative from the group was present at the Planning Board public hearing in mid-August.
During that Planning Board public hearing, Betlai and Yee were granted approval a parking reduction request. Per the zoning ordinance, they are required to provide 47 parking spaces based on the gross area of the existing building.
They have since modified the existing site layout to accommodate 16 spaces because that is all the space allows for. The total reduction request was of 31 spaces. The former PeoplesBank property will have its former drive-thru taken down to put in a new patio area and add eight of the total 16 spaces planned.
The Planning Board unanimously passed the special permit for parking reduction but inserted a six-month condition to come back and meet with the owners for an update on the parking situation. At that time, the owner’s of the new White Hut location can let the Planning Board know if they are having issues with their parking plan.
One area of concern that arrived before the final vote approving the special permit came from Bartley who said he realized through discussions with members of the Planning Board that after the six-month waiting period, the board itself does not assess the property themselves but relies on the assessment of the property owners.
“I wouldn’t call that an anvil over the head, but [section] 9.4.3 allows them to do that. I’m not criticizing the Planning Board, I’m simply saying that special permits, if used correctly, allows all of us to think a little more in depth,” Bartley said.
Bartley continued by saying he trusts the quality the Yee family brings to everything they do and was ultimately not too worried about any issue arising from this.