WESTFIELD – A sewer line project to serve business development at the intersection of North and Southampton roads will move forward as a private venture.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti said this morning that private developers will extend the city’s sewer line from the intersection of Southampton and Summit Lock (Medeiros Way) roads, north for about 3,000 feet, to the North Road intersection with Southampton Road.
The City Council voted 11-0 at its Dec. 6 session to approve a sewer capacity petition for the project following a positive recommendation from the Zoning Planning and Development Committee. Cressotti had submitted that sanitary sewer capacity application to the City Council at its Nov. 1 session when it referred to the ZP&D Committee for further review.
A sewer line installed as part of the Scenic Ridge subdivision was extended to the rear of the parcel to serve the Armbrook Village project, which provides independent and assisted living facilities for senior citizens, and was proposed to be extended eastward to serve other commercial land along Southampton Road. However, because the property is divided by Arm Brook that line could not be used to serve the other property.
The Armbrook Senior Living Center, constructed off North Road just west of Southampton Road, is a $20 million investment in the city. That project design includes a 137 room senior living facility that will offer options of independent living, assisted living and memory care services.
“Armbrook Village is already connected to city sewers at the back of that property, but the original concept was to bring that sewer service to the front of that property on Southampton Road,” Cressotti said this morning. “There was a joint participation (shared-cost element) of that proposal between the owner of the parcel in front of Armbrook Village and the owner of the Purple Onion property.”
“The project went through the permitting process, then the owner of the Purple Onion, at that time, pulled out of the agreement,” Cressotti said.
The Purple Onion is now under new ownership as the 7B’s and there is a renewed interest in connecting to the city’s sewers.
Cressotti said that city water has been extended to serve the two sites, as well as Armbrook Village, and that the only piece of the sewer permitting process left to complete was gaining City Council approval of projected capacity.
“The sewers and treatment plan has limited capacity,” Cressotti said. “When the treatment plant was expanded, there was an allocation of capacity for commercial and industrial growth. The mayor and City Council approve where that capacity is used.”
The council adopted a strategic plan for allocating that reserved capacity, drawing a map targeting residential sewer expansion, but assesses commercial and industrial sewer service petitions on an individual basis.
“The City Council makes that call as to who gets that capacity,” Cressotti said. “The only thing they had not gotten was the council’s sewer capacity approval. Now they just have to get a Department of Transportation permit to open (Southampton Road, Routes 10 & 202) to lay the sewer pipe.”
