PROSPECT — The Planning and Zoning Commission last week approved plans for an industrial building on Union City Road, though that could change.
At its Sept. 20 meeting, the commission voted 4-1 in favor of a special permit for a 40,000-square-foot industrial building and accompanying sight improvements at 99 Union City Road, also known as Route 68. Commissioner Dave Santoro voted against it.
The 29.69-acre parcel is owned by John Gallagher of Industrial Storage, LLC. He plans to use the building and land for storage, including for large equipment and vehicles.
The commission is scheduled to hold a special meeting Wednesday to discuss and possibly reconsider the project.
The proposal has been debated for the past few months with neighbors and commission members raising concerns about the plan. The commission’s main concern has been sightlines from the proposed driveway.
The town’s zoning regulations require a sightline of 150 feet for vehicles, but the state Department of Transportation require much longer sightlines, depending on the size of the vehicle. The DOT must approve the plans since Route 68 is a state road.
For tractor-trailer trucks, the DOT requires 765 feet for a sightline. According to revised plans for the project which moved the driveway slightly from the original proposal, the sightline for a tractor-trailer looking west is 587 feet, while looking east it is 800 feet.
Although the application for the special permit met the town’s regulations, commissioners raised concerns that the requirements weren’t stringent enough.
Ultimately, if the project moves forward, the final decision rests with the DOT.
Last week, commissioner Ken Kemp suggested the commission send a letter to the state with the approval stating its concerns about the sightlines.
“If there was a way to do it, I like Ken’s thoughts on it. Otherwise we are just saying it is fine with us,” commission Vice Chairman Al Havican said.
Santoro contended the commission was just passing its duty on to the state.
“If we do that and we are kicking the can down, what’s the point of having the board here with our regulations? It doesn’t make sense,” Santoro said.
Havican said he felt better about including the letter because it meant the commission was trying to point out the problem to the DOT rather than just hoping it would notice.
“At least we are stating our case. The state is going to make a decision anyway if we approve it and let it go to them. This way at least we are stating our concerns,” Havican said.
The board voted in favor of approving the application with a letter attached to the application, though it remains to be seen what the commission will decide at the special meeting.
