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Planning Board discusses Aldi project without applicants

Date: 9/14/2011

Sept. 14, 2011

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Editor

WEST SPRINGFIELD — A public hearing regarding the special permit request to build an Aldi grocery store on a parcel of Riverdale Street land owned by Raymour and Flanigan was scheduled for the Sept. 7 Planning Board meeting, but neither side showed up to present their case.

Planning Department Director Richard Werbiskis told the board representatives from Developers Diversified Reality Management (DDR), owners of the Riverdale Shops Plaza, Costco and Raymour and Flanigan had made a last-minute call to his office requesting a continuance of the public hearing so all sides could complete negotiations about the project.

The Tuesday night hearing was scheduled as the continuation of the sometimes contentious presentations on the project made by DDR and Raymour and Flanigan at the board’s July 6 meeting.

The absence of the principals directly involved in the proposed construction of the 16,202 square foot grocery store on a parcel behind Raymour and Flanigan and adjacent to the Olive Garden restaurant did not, however, stop board members from discussing the project amongst themselves.

Planning Board Chair Frank Palange asked Werbiskis for a quick overview of some of the conditions raised by the parties involved.

Werbiskis said DDR had requested “numerous amendments and reviews” of the project, including the exploration of Raymour and Flanigan paying for the construction of a double left hand turn out of Daggett Drive onto Riverdale Street.

Previous negotiations between DDR and Raymour and Flanigan resulted in Raymour and Flanigan purchasing Daggett Drive, a right of way that borders the far side of the DDR plaza parcel. That street, Werbiskis pointed out at an earlier meeting, is completely divorced from the land owned by Raymour and Flanigan.

Rejected by the Department of Transportation (DOT) during a traffic study 10 years ago, Werbiskis said the DOT had recently given a “favorable response” to a second look at the proposed Daggett Drive project.

Werbiskis added that Raymour and Flanigan has already agreed to make modifications to the intersection at Morgan Road to help ease potential traffic tie-ups associated with the Aldi project.

Prior to this, Werbiskis said Raymour and Flanigan had consented to make minor modifications to ease traffic flow in the plaza, including some signs on Morgan Road and Riverdale Street.

Planning Board member William Reichelt asked if all the back-and forth negotiations regarding traffic and intersection modifications would “go away if [the project is] approved, or are they doing this out of the goodness of their hearts?”

Werbiskis said the proposed modifications were not benevolent suggestions made by either side.

Planning Board member Aldo Bertera said that, as all parties in question were unhappy with the current negotiations, “maybe this would be a good time to get them to work together to come to a compromise.”

Palange noted that Raymour and Flanigan had already received site approval to construct a second restaurant on the parcel in question and, should they choose to abandon the Aldi project and go ahead with the restaurant option “we will have a worse traffic problem [in that plaza] than with a grocery store.”

Debbie Gardner can be reached by e-mail at debbieg@thereminder.com



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