WESTFIELD – The Planning Board voted last night to continue the public hearing on permits petitioned to allow further commercial development at a former Springfield Road car dealership.
The hearing was continued to the board’s Sept. 2 meeting to allow board members to study the findings and condition that will be attached to the permits requested by Julie and Nabil Hannoush for the proposed reuse of the former Balise dealership as a retail complex.
The couple, represented by Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates, is seeking permits from the Planning Board to construct an additional retail space on the 11.36-acre site at 99 Springfield Road. The proposal is for construction of three new buildings to house a variety of businesses, such as banking, professional offices and retail space.
The City Council has already issued a special permit for a fitness center in the existing building where a restaurant, batting cage and sports equipment retail store are already in operation. The Conservation Commission has also issued an order of conditions because the property is located on the banks of a wetland resource area, the Westfield River.
The project has substantially evolved during the environmental permit review process. The state Department of Environmental Protection stepped in during the Conservation Commission’s consideration of the proposed stormwater management proposal, which resulted in a major change for compensatory storage of flood water.
Levesque, who presented revisions of the proposal last night to the Planning Board, said the work will now be done in phases because the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) review of traffic impact on the heavily traveled section of Springfield Road (Route 20), may require further changes to the traffic pattern within the retail complex.
Levesque asked the planners to approve the site plan and stormwater management plan to allow renovations to the existing building. The petitioners will come back to the Planning Board if the DOT traffic review triggers significant changes to the site plan.
There was discussion concerning the special permit because it may not be needed if the square footage of the new buildings is less than 50,000 square feet. Levesque calculated the square footage of the three proposed buildings at less than that trigger, while Principal Planner Jay Vinskey, calculated it at over 50,000 square feet. Vinskey suggested that the petitioner keep the special permit application as part of the board’s review.
Levesque said the DOT review, which will require the developers to submit a traffic study, with numbers related to the increase of traffic flow generated by the retail development of the property, could take between 18 and 24 months to complete.
Levesque said the property owners desire to complete refacing the front of the building, which is currently mostly glass and was used as the new car showroom, and to construct a new façade for the rest of the existing building. The applicants hired architect Chris Carey to design a new front for the building and that architectural features, such as columns, will be added to transform the appearance of the structure. The fitness center will be located in the former showroom area.
Nabil Hannoush said this morning that the renovation of the existing building does not require additional permits.
“We already have approval for the renovation of our building. It’s going to be a beautiful building that will enhance the gateway to the city,” Hannoush said. “What we need are the permits to construct the additional buildings.
“It’s a $10 million investment that will add between 200 and 250 new jobs in the city,” Hannoush said. “We’re very excited.”
