Christy's Runs Into Traffic

Christy’s Market Proposal Runs Into Traffic In North Harwich

NORTH HARWICH -- Neighbors say there will be little convenience should a Christy’s Market be located at the southeast corner of Great Western Road and Depot Street. The planning board agreed there needs to be much more examination of traffic impacts at the intersections.

Christy Mihos, owner of Christy’s of Cape Cod LLC, is proposing to build a 2,664-square-foot convenience store and have a filling station operation on 1.4 acres adjacent to the intersection in an industrial subdivision off newly constructed Deerfield Road.

Dennis attorney Myer Singer told the planning board last Tuesday the location is appropriate because there are no other convenience stores in the area, citing the nearest store and gas station at 1.5 miles south, at Division Street and Route 28.

Singer said the proposed operation will not increase traffic to any great degree. He added the store would be consistent with other commercial businesses in the neighborhood. There would also be no vehicular problems in the area because customers would enter the property from Deerfield Road where there is ample turning room for trucks.

The project requires three special permits from the planning board: for site plan, parking and use as a convenience store. The special permit allowing for the filling station was before the appeals board the following night and was continued to the end of October. Singer said he made the request to provide the opportunity to adjust the site plan to meet planning board requests.

The main focus of the presentation was traffic. Singer said the increase would be marginal and used statistics from a traffic study conducted by Randy Hart of VHB, Inc. Hart said convenience stores draw very heavily on existing traffic in the area, according to some assessments as much as 85 percent of the flow. But he added they have taken a conservative approach, using 63 percent in the study.

Hart said in the peak morning hours from 7 to 9 a.m. the store would draw 45 new trips per hour, and at peak evening hours, 4 to 6 p.m., 58 vehicles per hour. In all, the store would draw 826 new vehicle trips into the intersection daily, 413 entering and 413 exiting, the study states.

Hart said the study looked at the five intersections there, and with the exception of the Depot Street/Great Western Road (west) intersection all the others function at an acceptable level. However, the weekday evening traffic at that intersection is at a level F. But the study states the proposed project was not shown to have a significant level of impact on the intersection.

Traffic was only part of the concern of neighbors. Tom Evans questioned the environmental impacts, citing a section of town adjacent to the Herring River corridor which was zoned light industrial use in the early 1970s. Evans said there was not a lot of concern for water quality back then.

Since then the town has purchased a lot of conservation land in the area because of the need to protect water quality. Evans expressed concerns for the potential of oil seeping into those conservation lands.

“I’ve never heard a single neighbor complain about distance traveled to a gas station,” Evans said.

He said there are eight gas stations within two miles, and the majority of them have convenience stores. He also questioned the traffic assessment, suggesting if Christy’s offered the Stop & Shop discount coupon it will draw many more vehicles.

The neighbor urged the planning board to “regulate as assiduously” as it would for something going in near the Wequassett Inn. He urged the board to make it a development they can be proud of if it goes in there.

Peter O’Rourke, who lives across Depot Street from the proposed store, asked if it would be open 24 hours. Singer said no, adding the hours would be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. O’Rourke wanted to know who would police the area when closed. His concern, he said, is kids hanging out there late at night.

“I’m out there in the morning picking up garbage,” O’Rourke said. “Does my territory extend to Christy’s picking up cups and wrappers and butts?”

Steve DiPaolo said he’s lived in the area for 17 years and never once wondered why a store or gas station was not closer to him. He said he rides his bike on weekends to pick up his morning paper. “I don’t need a convenience store there,” DiPaolo said.

DiPaolo also spoke about light pollution from the site and the potential for environmental pollution to the Herring River and the aquifer extending to the town well on Lothrop Avenue.

Barbara Furner, who owns a kennel at the corner of Depot Street and Great Western Road, said the proponents are being disingenuous when they say the store will not bring more traffic to the area. She expressed concern for her three children who have to wait along the road for the school bus each morning. She also warned that the dogs she keeps at the kennel will continue to bark into the night because of noise and light coming from the store.

Alan Hall said his grandfather owned the land where the store would be located, and it was once farmland. He is happy to see something being done on the land. He said there is a lot of history to North Harwich, where there has always been a lot of industry. There also used to be a post office and general store there, he said.

“There is nothing wrong with it, I think it would help the area,” Hall said. “It’s a great thing for North Harwich.”

Several of the neighbors expressed concern for increased traffic. O’Rourke said he sees seven- and eight-car backups at the intersection in front of his house. Evans said traffic barrels through the intersection, and all trucks from the industrial businesses that must head east go through the intersection.

Hart said they looked at the accident records for the intersection and a three-year review showed four accidents, about one-third of the state average. He said it is not a high-accident location.

But board member Matt McCaffery said there are conflicting speed patterns there, and accident statistics do not relate to the new patterns. McCaffery said he’d like to see an exit lane coming into Deerfield Road off Great Western Road.

“The other thing we’re losing sight of is this is only one portion of the development (of the subdivision),” McCaffery said. “We don’t know how much more traffic will come from that development.”

Hart responded that in the future there may be a need for a left turn off Great Western Road. That was recommended in a police department report.

Board member Ron Nordstrom also questioned a 140-degree turning radius for trucks entering the store parking lot from Deerfield Road. He said that puts the trucks on the wrong side of the road. Singer said they were trying to work within the town bylaw for width of access and egress.

Site engineer Hal Choubah added there are after-business controlled delivery hours for trucks. But board members said many trucks from the surrounding businesses would be entering the site for morning coffee.

Board member Joseph McParland also raised several issues contained in the police department report and recommended a design for signals be provided for the intersection. He also recommended the town of Dennis be given an opportunity to comment on the plans.

The board agreed to continue the hearing until Sept. 23 to allow the applicant to address the issues.

9/4/08