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Date: 12/27/2023
WESTFIELD — Falcon Landing, a proposed 524,000-square foot distribution center on a property between Falcon Drive and North Road (Route 202), has North Side residents concerned about traffic, pollution, and neighborhood character.
“One year down the road from when we talked about this last time, we’re still talking about all this truck traffic being dumped on the North End,” said North Road resident Tom Neidig at the Planning Board’s Dec. 19 meeting. “Different proposal, same problem.”
Neidig was referring to a Target distribution center proposed for the same lot in 2021. Controversially, the proposed warehouse had an access driveway from North Road, inviting trucks to drive on the residential street. It would also carry refrigerated goods, requiring a backup generator powered by diesel, which would poison the groundwater if it spilled. Target withdrew its proposal in October 2022 after encountering opposition from neighbors.
Susan McFarlin, president of the Hampton Ponds Association, said of Falcon Landing that neighbors were concerned about accidents on Route 202, particularly around the North Road-Old County Road intersection. She said there was nothing in the Falcon Landing application to reassure them that it would be different from Target’s “virtually identical” proposal.
Former City Councilor Maryanne Babinski said she was concerned about the impact on Southampton Road Elementary School and Westfield Head Start children of emissions from trucks stalled in traffic.
“That’s the invisible culprit in the room,” she said. “You can deal with trucks, but the emission coming out of those trucks? ... There are infants to 5-year olds, preschoolers that are involved in that particular situation, so I’d like to know what the issues are going to be or how those are going to be resolved.”
Traffic engineer Patrick Dunford said developers predict 170 truck trips a day, 85 coming and 85 going, and 950 car trips a day, 475 arriving and 475 leaving. Asked by Planning Board member Jane Magarian if this would be a 24-hour operation, Dunford said he doesn’t know, as the warehouse has no tenants yet. Falcon Landing is proposing to design and pay for improvement projects on roads its trucks would use.
North Road resident Guy DiAngelo said when he bought his house, it was a “nice home in the country.” Now, he said, there are nine distribution centers within a mile of his house.
“As far as this project goes, not only ‘no,’ but ‘hell no,’” he said.
Neidig did praise the project’s plan to remove the North Road access driveway installed by Target and replace it with a wooded buffer, although DiAngelo was skeptical that developers would actually remove it.
Responding to residents’ questions and concerns, lead consultant Valarie Ferro said that a lot of information they presented at the meeting addressed neighbors’ concerns. She also said they will only respond to comments under the context of city ordinances.
“What we can respond to, to assist in educating the public in further understanding what we’re proposing, we will do that,” she said. “We certainly look forward to that continued dialogue.”
Falcon Landing is a joint venture by Winstanley Enterprises, of Concord, Massachusetts, and NorthPoint Development, of Kansas City, Missouri. Winstanley Enterprises already owns the abutting 1111 Southampton Rd. property.
The warehouse building will be a maximum 52 feet and is being built for up to two tenants. It will come with 360 vehicle parking spaces and 346 to 434 trailer parking spaces, depending on tenant needs, accessible by two driveways on Falcon Drive. The building itself will be made of brick, painted to blend in with the natural environment. Design engineer John Hession said lighting will not trespass onto abutting properties.
Part of the property is in a Water Protection Overlay District, so the whole property will follow district standards. The warehouse will only store dry goods, removing the need for refrigeration and therefore, any potential spills from diesel backup generators. There will also be an elaborate system in place to prevent spilled items from seeping into the drain system.
More information about the project can be found at falconlandingwestfield.com and in the Dec. 18 and Dec. 21 editions of The Westfield News. People with questions can email info@falconlandingwestfield.com.