Expanded Traffic Study Sought For Pine Oaks Project

 HARWICH – The proposed 242-unit affordable housing complex proposed by Pine Oaks Village Homes along Queen Anne Road in North Harwich will make current traffic problems in the area worse, according to the town’s police chief. 

“The traffic on Queen Anne is a mixed use of light passenger vehicle traffic and heavy commercial truck traffic,” Police Chief Kevin Considine said at a June 18 zoning board hearing. “The additional traffic expected to be created by this project will only exacerbate the current issues we are experiencing in the area,” including concerns about pedestrian and bicycle safety.

The project would generate 1,904 average weekday vehicle trips, according to traffic studies. It would add more congestion at the intersection with Pleasant Lake Avenue, Considine said.

The board of appeals, which is weighing a comprehensive permit request for the project, spent two-and-a-half hours digesting the traffic impact assessment prepared for the developer by Vanasse Associates, Inc. and a transportation peer review for the town provided by VHB, Inc. 

The result of that session were determinations that the assessment area needs to be expanded to additional roadways and intersections; mitigation measures are necessary at the intersection of Queen Anne Road and Pleasant Lake Avenue; more work has to be done to provide pedestrian, motor vehicle and bike safety along Queen Anne Road; and design changes should be considered for a proposed daycare center within the complex for safety purposes.   

The development is projected to generate 155 vehicle trips in the peak morning hour and 183 in the evening peak hour. Queen Anne Road currently services 5,000 vehicles a day, and in the summer the number increases to 7,000 vehicles, said Jeffrey S. Dirk, P.E., managing partner with Vanasse Associates. 

  Traffic assessments show 85 percent of those vehicles travel 10 miles per hour above the speed limit on Queen Anne Road.  Considine confirmed there is a speed issue on the road.

 Considine said his department routinely gets complaints and stops speeding vehicles particularly in the area of the proposed project. As vehicle traffic travels west and leaves the commercial/ industrial area of Queen Anne Road, they pick up speed as they enter the residential portion of Queen Anne while negotiating curves and small hills in the area, he said.

 “This project will lead to more pedestrians walking, jogging or biking on Queen Anne. Without sidewalks, and given the heavy vehicle and truck traffic here, I have concerns for the safety of these activities,” said Considine.

 In his review of the traffic report, Michael Santos of VHB, Inc. said the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) database indicated that the intersection of Queen Anne Road at Pleasant Lake Avenue is listed in the top 5 percent intersection crash cluster from 2019-2021. Santos called for additional safety review at the location and for the project traffic engineers to provide potential remedies for safety issues. It was pointed out that during the summer that intersection is over capacity and has an “F” rating, along with the intersection of Depot Street and Main Street.

Dirk said the Queen Anne Road/Pleasant Lake Avenue intersection would need signal re-timing to allow better flow off Queen Anne Road. The re-timing would be addressed when the project was 60 percent constructed and again at 80 percent. He also said his firm, together with the town, has to do a road safety audit there.

Improvements can be made in the short term such as signage, he said. Geometric measures may also be necessary, he added, and any high-cost improvements could be pursued through regional planning and the Cape Cod Commission’s Transportation Improvement Program.

Questions were raised about the funding of the projects and whether there is any public space adjacent to the intersection to add lanes. Dirk said there are state programs such as Mass Work and Housing Works that provide assistance for such improvements, especially if they are associated with expanding affordable housing. He said his firm would work with the town to pursue funding. 

Dirk also said he would do the research to see what public lands are available adjacent to the intersection.   

 Santos said 35 percent of the traffic using Queen Anne Road is likely to use the interchanges at Route 6, creating an increase of 25 vehicles per hour. The peer review recommended the Pine Oaks Village study be expanded to include that interchange. Dirk agreed to expand the study area.

 VHB’s review recommended more information about trip generation for the 5,000-square-foot daycare center proposed in the development. The location of the structure, close to Queen Anne Road, also elicited safety concerns. Santos requested additional information on trip generation for the daycare center, parking accommodations for parents dropping off children, and hours of operation.

Dirk said the daycare facility is primarily for residents of the development, but he agreed to conduct further study.

At the start of the session, appeals board Chair Brian Sullivan made it clear the focus of the meeting was to hear the traffic and public safety issues related to the project. The 40B comprehensive permit process was established under Massachusetts General Law to facilitate affordable housing while weighing its impacts on communities, he said. 

One of the criteria for the board to consider is “extreme” data presented, he said, and one of the considerations is “extreme” traffic and safety issues. He added while each board member has an opinion on the definition of “extreme,” there is no specific definition provided in the statute. Sullivan asked if the traffic engineers could define it.

“Extreme can be very subjective,” said Santos. “After reviewing the traffic study there are still some outstanding issues. I don’t think I’d call the safety issues extreme. As long as they can provide appropriate mitigation, I don’t think I’d qualify it as extreme.”  

With little time left in the session, five residents were allowed to speak. 

Fire Chief David LeBlanc echoes Chief Considine’ concerns. He also took issue with a proposed emergency entrance to the development off Main Street, saying the time it would take to open the gate and travel the narrow lane would not enhance arrival time. He called for improvements to the Main Street/Queen Anne Road intersection to better facilitate apparatus movement to the entrance of the development.

LeBlanc estimated that the development would generate 700 fire department responses a year. Considine estimated 55 police responses, but said there would be additional vehicle-related responses in the area.

Resident and landscape company owner Kristen Crooker, a Main Street resident, questioned the density of the development and raised safety issues for family and employees working from her landscape business on Queen Anne Road. She called for Pine Oaks Village to make sidewalk, bike lane and intersection improvements so the cost does not fall to the town. 

Patrick Otton and Guy Trembicki questioned the location for a development this large in a remote area of town, asserting that affordable housing should be located close to grocery stores, medical facilities and public transportation.  

Matt Sheehan, a local resident and Yarmouth police officer, questioned the two days Vanassess spent conducting road surveys. He said if he went to his chief with a two-day study, he would be told to go back out and get two weeks of data. 

The appeals board continued the hearing to Wednesday, July 9  at 6:30 p.m. That session will also be centered around traffic issues; Vanasse is expected to present updated information on the peer review recommendations.

The appeals board has until Oct. 21 to collect information and close the hearing. It then has 40 days to deliberate on the comprehensive permit.