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| By Michelle Kealey Staff Writer AGAWAM The Planning Board made their decision about the zoning amendment regarding large shopping centers in the city last week, voting to send a negative recommendation to the City Council. Planning Board members Michael Morassi, Travis Ward, Rick Zini and Vi Baldwin voted to send a negative recommendation and Planning Board Chair Dennis Hopkins abstained himself from the vote, stating that he supports the Board's decision. The City Council will host a public hearing about the amendment at its Aug. 1 meeting. The Council will then vote to approve or vote down the amendment. The proposed amendment to the city's zoning bylaws would allow retail shopping centers comprised of more than one building to be built and would require a minimum lot size of 50 acres, among other changes. Currently, the city's bylaw allows for one principal building per lot and requires a minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet. The amendment was submitted by 10 registered voters on behalf of National Retail Development Corporation (NRDC), the company that hopes to build a 563,265 square foot shopping center off of Tennis Road to be named Agawam Pavilion. Because the changes were submitted and not made in-house, the Planning Board could not make any changes to it. Morassi made the motion to send the negative recommendation to the Council, stating that there are many modifications that the Board would make. The motion was seconded by Ward. Ward said that the public hearing regarding the amendment raised many points to the Board and with the situation of having the amendment submitted, they cannot add to the amendment or make any changes. "We have to pass it all or none," he said. He also said that the city would be better served by taking the amendment in-house and working on an amendment to the city's zoning bylaws. "Something like this should come from the Planning Board," he said. Balwdin said, "What happens in Agawam should come from within." Zini said that he is not in favor of the developer proposing the zoning. He added that multi size box buildings in one location can be dangerous. "The option to have special permits should be available," he said, adding that the Board should work on the zoning changes rather than a developer. "Not that retail is bad, but it needs to be zoned correctly," he said. Hopkins explained that there is a chance that the City Council will act independently, but he plans to send a report to the Council members listing the Planning Board's cautions about the amendment. He added that the intention of the Planning Board is to write its own shopping center amendment.. "Properly controlled retail can be a good thing," he said. He added that, unless the citizens withdraw the proposal without prejudice, it will move forward to the City Council. He said that people will have to "wait and see what happens." Members of the Citizens in Favor of Retail and members of the Citizens Against Reckless Development (CARD) attended the meeting to hear the Board's decision. Some of those in favor of the amendment had signs with the words "vote yes," while some members of CARD wore tee shirts that had the group's logo on the front and the words "just say no" on the back. As the Board gave their vote, members of CARD said "thank you" and applauded. Karl Merriam, chairperson of CARD, said, "I feel great." "I think the Planning Board looked at the facts and our valid arguments and made the right decision," he said. He added that he is "ecstatic" and that "you could peel me off the ceiling." Merriam said that he and other members of CARD will go to the City Council meeting on Aug. 1 to "present the facts to the Council the same way we did [to the Planning Board]." He added that he is confident that the Council will rule against the amendment. Fay Borgatti, chairperson of the Citizens in Favor of Retail, said that hearing the Board's decision was "disappointing news." She said that one of the seniors sitting behind her at the meeting was so upset at the decision that she became physically ill. "Another five or six [people] felt that the town does not care about them," she said. Borgatti said that there is still a chance that the Council will support the amendment, but added that she would like to see the amendment on the ballot. She said that Richard Baker, president of NRDC, was also very disappointed with the vote. She added that she is sure that Baker would work with the city. "He shows by what was submitted that he has the best interest of the town, and I am disappointed the Planning Board did not see that," she said. Although the Board did not support the amendment, Borgatti said that the Citizens in Favor of Retail will keep "plugging along." "We know the majority of the citizens want this," she said. Borgatti said that her phone has been ringing off the hook since the public hearing with people calling her for petitions and lawn signs to express that they are in favor of retail. Prior to the meeting, Deborah Dachos, director of Planning and Community Development, explained that if a developer wanted to put more than one building on a parcel, he or she needs the approval of the amendment. She added that the property is not zoned for commercial purposes and even with the approval of the amendment, a developer would have to apply for a zone change. Dachos said that a developer can apply for a zone change without the amendment to the zoning bylaws, but all of the buildings would have to be connected or there would have to be a commercial subdivision. "[The amendment] is just a way of regulating them. The critical vote is zoning for commercial purposes," she said. The City Council meeting regarding the amendment will take place on Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Agawam Middle School auditorium. |