WESTFIELD – The Planning Board will conduct two public hearings tomnorrow night on special permit applications requested to allow erection of an electronic sign at Cumberland Farms convenience store and to allow conversion of a motel into efficiency apartments.
Cumberland Farms, located at the intersection of Southampton and North roads, is seeking to modify the original site plan which did not include the alternate or flashing light sign to advertise fuel prices. A special permit is required under the city’s sign ordinances to allow the existing 22-foot tall and six-foot-wide flashing sign at its 1134 Southampton Road facility.
Flashing sighs are allowed in Business and Industrial zone as an accessory use direction attention to a business, commodity or service by special permit issued through the Planning Board under Article VIII, Section 8-10 of the city’s zoning code. The 1.17 acre Cumberland Farms site is located in a Business B zone.
The Planning Board voted to approve the original site plan, stormwater management plan, and a special permit for the Cumberland Farms store in March of 2013. All five of the eligible board members voted in favor of the special permit required for dispensing fuel at the 4,500 square foot convenience store.
The board also attached eight pages of findings and conditions to the permits that require the convenience store chain to submit a number of annual reports to the city detailing maintenance of the storm water management facilities.
The City Council also approved special permits for the two underground fuel tanks that will store 32,000 gallons of gasoline and 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel as part of the original project review.
The second public hearing tomorrow night pertains to a special permit requested to allow the conversion of a motel and attached residence into a 14-apartment complex at 480 Southampton Road.
The applicant, Rui Baltazar of Chicopee, is planning to convert the 12-unit motel into efficiency apartments and to construct an addition to the raised ranch house to facilitate conversion of the residency into two additional apartments. The former motel is located in a Business A district.
The city’s zoning code allow for the conversion under Section 3-110.3 as long as the plan includes two parking spaces for each of the 14 proposed apartments.
