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Date: 9/22/2021
WESTFIELD – A public hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 14 at the Westfield City Council for an application for storage of 26,000 gallons of gasoline underground, 30,000 gallons of diesel underground, and 100 gallons of LP gas aboveground, submitted by Robert Bolduc, Pride Limited Partnership.
The gas storage is for the new Pride gas station and diesel fueling station for trucks at 21-33 Southampton Road, near the Massachusetts Turnpike entrance, where the Friendly’s restaurant now stands. A multi-tenant building is also under construction at 9 Southampton Road in the jughandle between Westfield Industrial Park Road and Friendly’s Way, slated to house Starbucks and Hot Table restaurants.
The proposal for the development was approved by the Planning Board on April 6 after James Channing on behalf of Pride Stores, Jason Adams from McMahon Associates and Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates brought a revised plan to the board which changed access and exit points from the property on the jughandle, and convinced board members to unanimously approve the special permit, stormwater and site plans.
Special permit approval for the location of gas storage, however, is a function of the City Council and begins with a public hearing. Once the hearing is closed, the Pride application will be referred to the License Subcommittee, chaired by Ward 5 Councilor John J. Beltrandi III, for a recommendation to the council.
Another application for fuel storage was referred to License Subcommittee on Sept. 2 for Old Dominion Freight Lines to add a 15,000-gallon diesel fuel tank and a fuel island terminal to its site at 74 Medeiros Way, and is being held in committee.
Several city councilors and residents of Ward 1 expressed their opposition to Old Dominion’s plans over two public hearings. Primary arguments were due to its proximity to the aquifer, although not directly over it, and because the plans for a fuel island for Old Dominion’s trucks was not in its original application two years ago, which also drew opposition due to the excessive truck traffic on the north side.