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Date: 9/27/2022
HADLEY – The Russell Street/Route 9 corridor remains Hadley’s largest commercial zone and expansion and change along the corridor is constant. This was the focus of much of the Hadley Planning Board’s Sept. 20 meeting.
Karissa Pankratz, representing the Taco Bell at 258 Russell St., presented before the board a plan to renovate several aesthetic elements of the restaurant’s exterior. These ranged from new signage featuring LED lighting to murals on empty frames along the walls to new sconce light fixtures surrounding the building.
Several members of the council requested more information on the sconce lighting, which can be problematic if the lights point outwards or upwards, leading to glare which distracts passing drivers. The Taco Bell in question sits at a busy intersection, so this must be clarified before the project can move forward.
Board Chair Jim Maksimoski cited the example of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant whose lights initially appeared to be unproblematic but in practice ended up bothering neighbors up to a half a mile away, which necessitated adjustments.
The board did not object to Pankratz’s proposed changes, but felt they needed additional information on the signage dimensions, light fixtures and whether the murals in question were available without trademark. They agreed to come back to the matter in at the next meeting and to pass the vote if all conditions were met satisfactorily.
A vote was passed to approve a transfer of land from one lot on Stockbridge Street to an adjacent lot. Both lots are owned by members of the same family.
The next item of Russell Street business was a public hearing to review an application submitted by Triangle Properties LLC. for site plan approval of new construction at 13 Russell St. The lot contains the now-abandoned former Getty station on the corner of Russell Street and Bay Road, the first stop in Hadley after crossing the bridge from Northampton. The application proposed turning the property into an independent drive-through coffee shop, complete with customer and employee parking, as well as a small outdoor seating area.
According to Jeff Squire of Berkshire Design Group, representing Triangle Properties at the meeting, the café would be housed in the existing building – renovating what used to be the gas station – while the canopied section which used to house the pumps would be converted into parking. A one-way entrance into the drive-through line would feed in from Russell Street, while a two-way entrance and exit would open onto the Bay Road side. Currently the site has no stormwater infrastructure; it drains either onto Russell Street, Bay Road or off site into the vacant field next to the site. Developers are attempting to regrade the site within the scope of the project to direct water inwards to small rain gardens in between the drive-through and the customer parking lot, which would be reinforced by stone diaphragms. There would also be a welcome sign for the Town of Hadley on the corner of the lot facing the bridge.
The board had no issue with the coffee shop itself, but Maksimoski said he was concerned about traffic from the drive-through spilling onto Russell Street and causing congestion, an issue known as “stacking.”
“If the proposed shop is even half as successful as Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, traffic will spill out onto Rt. 9. That is unacceptable,” Maksimoski said.
In addition to the stacking issue, board members also felt that storm drainage would have to be more fine-tuned in a final plan, as would lighting for the same reasons as the Taco Bell sconce lights previously discussed. the board agreed to return to the proposal for further review at their Oct. 4 meeting.
Finally, Diane Kirby from Amped Up! Electric Rides had some questions for the board regarding her business’s upcoming move regarding the transfer of their business license to the new location. The Planning Board informed Kirby that license transfer was not under their purview. Amped Up! Electric Rides will be moving into the Hampshire Mall as of Oct. 1.