Timothy Coon of JR Russo Engineering and Tom Williams, manager of Old Dominion in South Windsor spoke on behalf of the special permit application at the public hearing on July 8. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Monday night at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, the Zoning, Planning and Development subcommittee will take a closer look at the special permit application for an Old Dominion Freight Lines truck terminal on Medeiros Way on a lot zoned Business B.
While public participation is on the agenda, no discussion or comments on the Old Dominion application will be permitted because the public hearing was closed July 8 and referred to ZPD.
The City Council has 90 days from the close of a public hearing to act on a special permit, or it will be approved by default.
At-large Councilor Nicholas J. Morganelli, Jr., who chairs ZPD, said his committee would address the permit at the end of July or beginning of August, and make a recommendation to the City Council for a vote.
Representatives of the $3.3 billion company first appeared before the City Council at a public hearing on Sept. 6, 2018, almost one year ago. After several hearings, vocal public opposition, and a negative recommendation from the previous ZPD committee, their application was withdrawn without prejudice last October, and resubmitted in May of this year.
The vocal opposition to the project, mainly from residents on the north end of Westfield who have objected to increasing truck traffic, and to the removal of trees for the Old Dominion project. No objections have been raised against Old Dominion Freight Lines itself.
Old Dominion Freight Line (www.odfl.com), headquartered in Thomasville, North Carolina, focuses on local deliveries in each of its locations nationwide, which include Albany, NY and South Windsor, CT.
