Is Home Depot project a go?
Published on October 3rd, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - A Mass. environmental agency invited The Richmond Company to prepare a final report for a planned Fallon Road Home Depot, but ordered additional scrutiny of the development's impacts on regional traffic patterns.
According to a 17-page report issued by Executive Office for Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEA) Secretary Ian Bowles, the applicants had presented satisfactory documentation of the project's potential traffic, wetlands, and other resource area impacts.
The decision, issued last Friday, is part of the ongoing Mass. Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office review of the 135,000 square foot home improvement store plans, which would be constructed in South Stoneham near I-93 and the Winchester line.
Because the Home Depot is expected to draw over 3,200 more vehicle trips to and from the area on a daily basis, the state environmental review was triggered.
Wilmington's The Richmond Company, which purchased the 16 acre parcel from the A.W. Chesterton property for an estimated $7.4 million, has already received authorization to proceed from the Stoneham Selectmen, Conservation Commission, and Planning Board.
"While the DEIR is adequate, there is considerably more that could be done to further reduce the environmental impacts of the project, to demonstrate that the project is consistent with regulatory standards, and to ensure that adequate steps are taken to avoid, minimize, and mitigate project impacts," the EOEA secretary concluded.
During the MEPA process, state officials were informed that The Richmond Company has applied for over $3 million worth of grants in order to foot the bill for the lengthy list of roadway and infrastructure improvements promised to mitigate traffic congestion.
The Richmond Company has proposed the creation of a roundabout off of the I-93 south off-ramp that streams into Fallon Road and connects with North Border Road. A Park Street cul-de-sac, the installation of a turning lane and new signals at North Border Road/Main Street/South Street, and a slip-ramp onto I-93 from Park Street have also been pitched.
However, shortly after the Wilmington firm got the green light from Stoneham officials - approvals largely predicated on that mitigation - The Richmond Company claimed it didn't have the money to pay for the improvements.
According to Bowles, the project proponents need to broaden its review of traffic impacts in its next MEPA filing. Specifically, the EOEA secretary cited concerns with potential impacts to Montvale Avenue and its I-93 connections in Woburn, as well as ripple effects to Roosevelt Circle in Medford.
The report also calls for more study of trucking traffic along Park Street, the consequences to Winchester Hospital's operations that might arise from a Park Street cul-de-sac, and on impacts to the adjacent Middlesex Fells Reservation parkways. Since Bowle's decision was issued, several South Stoneham activists who have opposed the Home Depot project have heralded the findings.
"I see some 17 pages here that the developer has to go through," said Marble Street resident Doug Carey. "So I'm somewhat encouraged because there's a lot of things the developer has to go through."
Sharing Carey's sentiments, Everett Road resident Ken Pruitt opined that despite Bowle's ultimate conclusion that DEIR met MEPA standards, the final decision on the merits of the project are still forthcoming.
"It's not a report that this is the right kind of project," said Pruitt, who has long contended that the Home Depot redevelopment is too dense and detrimental for the area. "I think it's clear the negative environmental consequences far outweigh the benefits."
"It's really unfortunate," commented Carey, who believes the state will ultimately reject the redevelopment, leaving another economic opportunity for the town in the lurch. "What the town should have done, if we had responsible leaders, is order the developer to put something more reasonable in there." According to the applicant's attorney Mark Vaughan, who anticipated that DEIR would ultimately satisfy the MEPA's requirements, he disputes the contention that the traffic can't be adequately mitigated, as suggested by project opponents.
"We look forward to moving forward with what will be a successful project for all parties," said the Riemer & Braunstein lawyer. "We'll now be in the position to respond to any lingering questions that still may exist." "I recognize that for some, there's still an emotional reaction when they hear the words Home Depot or box retail," Vaughan added. "But I think [the mitigation] works to address a situation there that has built up over the years. Our position has been that some of what's proposed, regardless of what's developed at 225 Fallon Road, is still required."
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