Planning Board Approves Sophie's Restaurant Expansion, Reassigns Industrial Building Addresses

EAST BRIDGEWATER -- January 5, 2026, East Bridgewater Planning Board unanimously approves downtown restaurant expansion and industrial address changes at January 5 meeting. The board granted site plan approval under Section 13 of the town's zoning bylaws to Michael Simonetti, owner of Sophie's Italian Food at 6 Central Street, to add roughly 820 square feet of new dining space with 24 seats; the downtown B5 district's on-street parking allowance and 10 on-site spaces satisfied the board's one-space-per-three-seats requirement. In a separate unanimous vote, the board assigned 220 Highland Street to Building 5 and 224 Highland Street to Building 1 of the Equity Industrial Partners warehouse complex, backing away from the originally proposed 230 address after Chair Kevin Riley determined that number was already legally embedded in federal, state, and local documents tied to an adjacent solar field. Both approvals carry conditions: Equity Industrial must resolve fire alarm separation with the East Bridgewater Fire Department and confirm DPW address marking before the renumbering takes effect. An executive summary from the Old Colony Planning Council, which arrived the day of the meeting, was deferred to February.