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Date: 12/16/2021
HAMPDEN – A week after a self-storage facility at 2 Somers Rd. failed to garner the four votes necessary to obtain a special permit from the Hampden Planning Board, a separate facility at 16 Somers Rd. was likewise denied a special permit.
The vote was the culmination of several months of Planning Board meetings in which the petitioner, Attorney Raipher Pellegrino of 16 Somers Rd., LLC, and a citizens group called Save Hampden submitted plans and documents, while delivering hours of presentations and debate.
Planning Board Chair John Matthews previously told Reminder Publishing that he believed the board had done its due diligence during the months-long process and that whether the special permit was approved or denied, the matter would likely be appealed to land court due to its controversial nature.
After voting against the project at 16 Somers Rd., Planning Board member Christina Brodeur, said, “I think it was the right decision and I think the bylaw supports that decision.”
Over 20 conditions for potential operation were ironed out by the board, including one to ensure the maintenance of the on-site Civil War-era house that was to be used as an office. The most detailed of the conditions would have prohibited hazardous materials over the quantities cited in state environmental regulations, which require the state to be notified of spills exceeding substance-specific quantities.
The board also required the contract with users to prohibit hazardous materials beyond amounts for household usage. Pellegrino had included a plan in the facility’s operations and maintenance manual to inspect each unit for prohibited materials within 48 hours of its rental or of a customer accessing it. Pellegrino had also secured an environmental liability insurance policy for $1 million per pollution occurrence and $3 million aggregate.
The board discussed other conditions, such as limiting the operating hours to avoid noise nuisances and that the sign be no larger than 24 square feet.
As for the next steps for 16 Somers Rd., LLC, Pellegrino said, “We’ll look at our legal options and make some decisions.” The petitioner has 30 days from the Dec. 8 decision to appeal.