Gutierrez moves closer to realizing office park dream
Published on December 27th, 2000
STONEHAM , MA - The long and winding approval process for the Burlington-based Gutierrez Company’s transformation of Boston Regional Medical Center into an office park crept before a joint meeting of Selectmen and the Planning Board Dec. 19 to head off traffic problems.
Gutierrez first came to the town requesting a zoning change in May of 2000. Town Meeting and the Attorney General OKed the change. Since then the Planning Board has approved the subdivision plan, discussed below, and the Board of Appeals has granted several variances, for frontage and other aspects of the development plan.
Gutierrez is now before the joint boards for site plan approval from Selectmen and special permit approval from the Planning Board, for building height among other issues.
Engineers have examined traffic patterns at the intersections of the office park’s north and south access ways onto Woodland Road, Woodland Road and Pond Street, South Street and Pond Street, Main Street (Route 28) and South St /North Border Road, and Ravine Road and Woodland Road.
At the Dec. 19 meeting nothing was resolved; Gutierrez, the town and neighbors shared different views. Ravine Road, for example, was identified as a trouble spot by Stoneham’s traffic engineer, Scott Galbraith of Highway and Traffic Signal Design of Charlestown. But Gutierrez’s traffic engineer, Scott Weiss of VHB of Watertown, recommended, if anything, simply rearranging the intersection to improve visibility. Some neighbors wanted a light; others didn’t.
Another joint board meeting is scheduled for late January to continue public discussion. But first town officials will meet in private with the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) and Gutierrez to work toward a compromise. The MDC owns the bulk of North Border Road, Pond Street, South Street and Woodland Road.
A big deal
“We will have spent more than $100 million (by the time the office park is complete),” said Arthur Gutierrez Jr. at the Dec. 19 meeting. His company’s estimate for project completion is August 2002.
Three buildings averaging 180,000 square feet each and a 1,100 space parking garage are proposed for the 42-acre Woodland Road property. The longstanding houses and Adventist high school have been demolished, but 373,000 square feet of the old hospital building will remain as part of the new complex.
Gutierrez is also in the process of filing a report in compliance with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act. The state sends the report around, and agencies like Mass Highway and the Department of Environmental Protection scan for red flags.
The intersections
Gutierrez proposes traffic lights with corresponding left turn lanes for the office park access ways onto Woodland Road.
The Woodland Road and Pond Street intersection is an unknown. The MDC is working on a new look for this rotary.
Both boards argued Dec. 19 for traffic lights at the South Street and Pond Street intersection, but neither traffic engineer would commit to the need for a signal. Gutierrez proposes making the oblique intersection perpendicular and adding turning lanes.
At the Main Street and South Street/North Border Road intersection Gutierrez proposes a new traffic signal with left turn arrows and corresponding turning lanes. This change would involve widening South Street and North Border Road.
No clear solution was discussed for Ravine Road and Woodland Road.
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!