Dartmouth Planning Board approves Audi dealership parking permit, advances Big Y review

DARTMOUTH -- June 1, 2026, Dartmouth Planning Board approves parking reduction for a new Route 6 Audi and Volkswagen dealership and advances a Big Y grocery store proposal to a June 22 hearing. The board voted 5-0 to grant a special permit to PRM Auto Holdings allowing 113 built parking spaces plus 64 ghost spaces at 0 State Road, a 65 percent build-out against a 177-space full requirement, for a proposed 37,000-square-foot combined dealership and service facility just west of Walmart. Engineer David Potter of Parr Corporation reported a 7.6 percent reduction in two-year stormwater peak flow rates. Board member Helio Rosa asked the design team to study glare from the south-facing glass facade on nearby residences and to reconsider tree placement near ghost-parking zones. Chair Lori Ann Miller told operating partner Aaron Anger, "I expect Audi to set the standards for the rest of the dealerships in this town", specifically, no vehicles parked on grass and no loading on Route 6. Separately, the board continued site plan review for Big Y's proposed 50,000-square-foot grocery store at 57 Faunce Corner Mall Road, where engineers project 1,013 parking spaces against a 957-space requirement; remaining questions centered on rear-lot safety, outdoor merchandise boundaries, and fresh Department of Public Works comments received the morning of the meeting.