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Date: 6/27/2023
CHICOPEE — The Chicopee City Council met on June 20 to discuss a variety of items, one of which pertained to amending action on Burnett Road.
The item read, “Be it ordained by the City Council that the code of the city of Chicopee for the year 1991, as amended by and is hereby further amended as follows: Delete Chapter 275-66 A in its entirety and insert in place thereof 275-66 A Burnett Road.”
It went on to say, “No further business, commercial or industrial development shall occur on Burnett Road from the Ludlow/Chicopee line to the intersection of New Lombard Road and Burnett Road and any appurtenant street for a period of one year commencing on April 1, 2023, and terminating on April 1, 2024, expect by special permit.”
Ward 4 City Councilor and Chair of the Zoning Committee George Balakier said the committee report was received and referred to the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing.
He shared that the Zoning Committee recently had an “interesting meeting” with a split decision vote on the proposal.
After the public hearing, it will go back to the Zoning Committee for a vote, Balakier said.
Ward 6 City Councilor Derek Dobosz said he was “disappointed” that it was defeated in zoning. “This language allows for the City Council and Burnett Road residents as well, to kind of work with developers on Burnett Road. This language had allowed us to work with the developers of the Tesla dealership, to actually make that development smaller and safer for Burnett Road,” said Dobosz.
“If we defeat this ordinance, it’s really going to hurt Burnett Road residents quite a bit and it’s really unfortunate … I think it’s going to hurt the incoming Ward 6 city councilor,” he added, as Dobosz is not seeking re-election.
Dobosz said he is hopeful that his colleagues reconsider this and expects the council to defeat it in ordinance. “I’m encouraging Ward 6 residents to attend the Ordinance Committee [meeting] when it’s set,” he shared.
He continued, “It only affects a couple of parcels of Burnett Road. It’s not blocking development, but it’s allowing Burnett Road to have more of a say in what goes on there.”
Until traffic in that area slows — as it seems to be an issue — Dobosz said he hopes the language stays the same.
Ward 9 City Councilor Mary Beth Pniak-Costello said she “agreed wholeheartedly” with Dobosz. She explained that this is a “unique area” in the city of Chicopee — it is a crossroads regarding highways — with a lot of development in that particular area, along with residential homes, schools and parks nearby.
Even though this language is 24 years old, Pniak-Costello said the city has to fix Burnett Road and address what is currently there.
“We really have an obligation here for the residents … They live there,” she said. “We have to listen to the residents and take their concerns very seriously.”
Ward 3 City Councilor Delmarina López also agreed and said as this only affects a couple of parcels, the language should stay in place until the road issues are addressed.
Even though there was a vote taken at the Zoning Committee, Balakier noted that there will be “another bite of the apple” and it is not done yet.
When it came time for the council to vote, the motion passed by 8-5.