A restaurant with outdoor dining overlooking the runway could come to Lawrence Municipal Airport in North Andover as part of a $5.6 million to $6.1 million project to replace the aging administration building on Terminal Road.

The North Andover Planning Board opened a public hearing on the site plan July 21 and heard from project manager Phil Cox of Cox Aviation, who told the board a prospective tenant is negotiating a lease for restaurant space inside the new building, the Andover Townsman reported. Board members want answers about parking lot lighting and evening safety before they'll approve the plan.

The project would demolish the existing 4,600-square-foot administration building, constructed in 1954, and replace it with a one-story, 7,069-square-foot structure on the same footprint at 492 Sutton St. The new building would house airport administration offices and two tenant spaces, including the restaurant.

Lindsey DiTonne, an engineer and team leader with Boston-based McClure Engineering, presented the site plan on behalf of the Lawrence Municipal Airport Commission. The plan includes a reconfigured 46-space parking lot with five electric vehicle-ready spaces, up from the current 28 spaces. The restaurant would get 39 dedicated parking spots.

A concrete plaza between the building and the airfield would give the restaurant tenant the option of outdoor dining. A rear door would let people arriving by aircraft walk directly inside.

Lighting questions delay decision

Board members flagged the lack of parking lot lighting, particularly for patrons visiting during evening hours.

The tension is real. Cox told the board that tall light poles can create glare problems for air traffic controllers monitoring operations, and the control tower operates from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Still, Cox said later restaurant hours would benefit the airport. "It is better for the airport if there are later restaurant hours and for the restaurant to be a more viable business at the location," he told the board at the July 21 hearing.

The administration building currently operates 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Cox said there will be a conversation with the restaurant tenant about possible dinner hours.

What happens next

The board continued the hearing to an August meeting. Before Planning Director Jean Enright can present a draft decision, the stormwater review must be completed and the North Andover Fire Department must review the proposed emergency vehicle turnaround plan.

Enright also suggested the board attach a condition requiring the restaurant tenant to appear before the board to discuss hours of operation and any additional lighting needs.

Cox said the project is expected to go out to bid in August. Once bidding wraps up, construction would take 18 months.