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Date: 1/10/2023
HADLEY – After several months of deliberation, the Hadley Planning Board approved the transformation of the vacant gas station at 13 Russell St. into a drive-thru coffee shop. The approval is technically conditional, but barring any unforeseen events, the shop will go through as planned.
Jeff Squire of Berkshire Design Group, the architectural firm designing the project, explained the most recent holdup that had delayed progress.
“We had been stalled waiting for Zoning Board of Approvals (ZBA) variance, which was granted sometime in the middle of last month or so. With that, I can show you the plans as they’ve been updated,” Squire said.
The property, which falls in the shape of a right triangle, sits on the corner of Russell Street and Bay Road next to the Pride gas station.
“The previous plan had shown a curb cut off of Route 9 (Russell Street). This caused some concern for the board understandably, so it has been revised to show that curb cut being closed on Route 9, and a second, ‘in-only’ curb cut on Bay Road, roughly about 112 to 114 feet from the end of the property [at the intersection] … This lengthens the stacking lane, so that folks get into the site and have plenty of room to stack, order and then exit back on to Bay Road.”
An auxiliary curb cut still exists on the Russell Road side of the property for emergency vehicles to enter, but will be demarcated with special tiling and grass seed as well as “Do not enter” signs to prevent civilian usage.
Planning Board Clerk William Dwyer explained his reasoning for granting approval.
“I’ll make a motion to approve the application for site plan approval based upon the following findings: project satisfies the general purposes of the bylaw; it’s not detrimental to the established or future character of the neighborhood; its intended use is not prohibited by the terms of the bylaw; and the work will be conducted in accordance with the plan dated today. With the addition of an entrance and not an exit, respectively, provide signage to the emergency access and use high grass if possible,” Dwyer said.
He added several provisions to the motion regarding specific, undecided design elements which will still need to be approved before the project reaches final construction
“The design features are an integral part [of the project]. Everything will be installed as shown. For the moment, it’s approved only as a coffee shop drive-thru. No sign detail or final color scheme has been provided. [These details] will be required to be approved by the Planning Board before final construction. Landscaping is to be installed and maintained per the plans. Outdoor lighting must be shielded. No storage containers, shipping containers or any other storage facility not shown [on the plan]” Dwyer said.
Approval from the Planning Board allows the project to move forward, but there may be other governing bodies within the town which take issue with aspects of the project’s design and require changes be made. This approval acknowledges that, and promised a rigorous compliance check.
“This approval does not excuse the project’s compliance with any other provisions that the Hadley zoning bylaw has not specifically addressed herein. It is subject to approval from any other boards as required. Any changes required by other boards must be approved by the Planning Board. There will be a pre-construction conference with the project coordination group, and the project will be reviewed for compliance by an independent consultant on behalf of the planning board upon completion,” Dwyer said.
No official timeline has been yet given as to the project’s estimated completion.