WESTFIELD – The Planning Board voted unanimously to approve a request submitted by Robert Bolduc to withdraw the proposed Pride fueling stations project for Southampton Road without prejudice.
The Pride Limited Partnership project included two fueling stations, one at 9 Southampton Road for passenger vehicles inside the “jug handle” entrance to the Massachusetts Turnpike from the north bound lane of Routes 10 and 202, and a second station for commercial trucks at 33 Southampton Road which is located behind Friendly’s Restaurant at the intersection of Friendly Way and Westfield Industrial Park Road.
Pride was seeking a number of special permits, stormwater management plan and site plan approval from the Planning Board. Pride submitted its application to the Planning Board at its April 21, 2015 session.
Pride also has a pending special permit application before the City Council which is considering a request for underground storage of 41,000 gallons of gasoline and 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Pride submitted that application to the council at its March 19, 2015 session.
The City Council decided to table its consideration of the Pride special permit until the Planning Board made its decision, which will include findings and conditions which the council usually attaches to its decision, as well.
The Planning Board’s review of the project stalled early last summer because members wanted a comprehensive traffic impact study which could not be performed after the end of the school year and of the academic year at Westfield State University. That study was supposed to be done this fall, but has yet to be initiated.
Bolduc said that Pride is withdrawing without prejudice, which allows it to submit a new petition at any time, because those studies, being performed by state agencies, will not be before the end of the year.
“We hereby request to withdraw, without prejudice, all of our applications for site plan approval, drivethru window and stormwater management,” Bolduc said. “Our reasons are simply that MassDOT and MassMEPA studies will not be completed with sufficient time prior to year end.”
“”We will reapply soon so we may complete this project in 2016,” Bolduc said. “Thank you for your consideration and confidence you have shown us.”
The commercial truck facility is to be located behind the Friendly’s Restaurant and given the designation as 33-39 Southampton Road. That site will primarily provide diesel fuel for commercial trucks, but will also have a compressed natural gas (CNG) pumping station which will be operated in conjunction with the Westfield Gas & Electric (WG&E) Department pending a public-private partnership agreement.
Bolduc said that CNG is the “fuel of the future” because it costs half of the price of diesel fuel and because CNG is 14 times cleaner than diesel. The commercial fueling station is designed to fill the saddle tanks of truck from both sides of the vehicle.
The passenger car fueling station across Friendly Way from the commercial facility also will have an alternative fueling station proposed in conjunction with the WG&E Department. The plan is to put a recharging station at the front of the passenger vehicle facility.
The passenger vehicle fueling facility would have two one-way entrances, one from Owen District Road (the jug handle) and the other from Friendly Way. There would be a second entrance and exit onto Owen District Road and a second entrance and exit, with a right turn only onto Friendly Way near the intersection with Owen District Road.
