Westfield City Hall
WESTFIELD – A full gallery, including many residents from ward 4, attended the public hearing Tuesday before the Planning Board for site plan approval of a seasonal farm labor camp at 0 Crane Ave, the site of a 71-acre tobacco farm.
Planning Board chair William Carellas said the board was tasked to review the site plan based on its merits. Corey Hinckley spoke about the plan, saying his father Robert Hinckley couldn’t attend the hearing. He said the plans are to build a 36 x 60 seasonal farm labor camp on farm land, and a driveway with four parking spaces.
Hinckley said the building would house 12 employees who would work on the tobacco farm during the season, which runs from approximately April to October, depending on the weather and the crop. He said the farm is in a flood plain, and they started the process with a zoning determination form, and are going over speed bumps as they come.
Questioned about the number of parking spaces for the camp, Hinckley said they haven’t had employees that bring their own vehicles to live in the camp. The workers will come from around the US, or if they can’t fulfill that, they will go through a program to bring in workers. He said there will be a shuttle bus provided to bring them in and out. He said if there were someone with a vehicle, they would park it at the main 100 acre farm at 48 Crane Avenue, and the laborers would work both fields.
Hinckley said previously they were able to rent housing in a camp on an adjoining farm to the main farm, but that camp is filled and the space is not available.
Planning Board members commented that the submitted plan shows one window and no doors. Hinckley said they started with a plan from a farmer in CT, which needs to be updated. “This is a first time thing for us,” Hinckley said. He also said they haven’t been before police and fire, but had checked in with sewer and water regarding the plan.
Planning Board member Philip McEwan told him that he needs to bring a more detailed plan to the board.
Residents were then invited to come forward. Vicki Nunez of Hamilton Way said there had not been a lot of information on the notification, and asked whether the building would have a negative impact on the wildlife in the area.
City Planner Jay Vinskey said there had been no substantive comments from the Conservation Commission about the plan.
Cindy Smith, who identified herself as the daughter of Richard and Barbara Swords on Highland Ave., said the area is open space, wetlands, with many species including otters, eagles, fox and coyote. “This is not ok for the neighborhood, for the environment. This is not what the land was for,” she said.
Keith Swords, also of Highland Ave., said he was saddened by the plan, and also saddened by the prospect of the Hinckley’s putting up “no trespassing” signs if they don’t get a favorable decision.
Swords said after Richard L. Fowler purchased the land, his son signed an agreement with the City Council to put an agricultural preservation restriction (APR) on the land for perpetuity, and the land is subject to the right of entry. He said he has spoken with Carol Fowler, the widow of Richard Fowler, Jr., who said there has been no structure on the land since 1964.
Swords also said according to the APR, if the owner seeks to erect any building, it requires the permission of the Commonwealth Dept. of Agricultural Resources. He said to him, it doesn’t feel like the city has jurisdiction.
Joe Muto of the Community Preservation Committee asked for clarification about the boundaries of the flood plan. Vinskey said the specific site is outside the flood plan. Muto also said that the proposed site is lower than existing sanitary lines, and he didn’t know how that would be addressed.
Al Giguere, Westfield Flood Control Commission chair, said the plan needed to get approval from the FCC. He said projects are going forward without any input from them, which could become a problem for the city and the taxpayers.
McEwan said the hearing was rapidly turning into a special permit hearing, when it was a site plan review, as decided by the building inspector. He said the permit is for an allowed use, and the Planning Board cannot say no. He said residents could go to the Zoning Board of Appeals to appeal the decision.
“I feel personally this should be a special permit in front of the City Council,” said At-large City Councilor Matt Emmershy. He said it is proposed as a camp, not a single family residence as the building inspector had stated. He also said he does not believe that it fits into the neighborhood. “I will be appealing the building inspector’s finding on this,” he said.
At-large Councilor Dan Allie said although it’s a site plan review, part of the findings is whether it fits the area. He also said it didn’t sound like there was a building plan. “How can this possibly move forward,” Allie asked.
Ward 4 Councilor Mike Burns said he agreed with Allie. “I don’t believe it fits. I ask for a continuance on this,” he said, adding that what’s left to do is appeal to the Hinckley’s to reconsider.
James Fisher of Crane Ave. said that he grew up on the road and lived for 25 years at Hinckley’s residence, and 55 years on the road. He said he was, along with the Swords, “a pretty good judge of what fits in the neighborhood.” Fisher said he was not against the farming aspect of it, but didn’t think it was necessary to put a building there, which would upset the balance of the neighborhood with transient people that don’t have “skin in the game.”
He said Mrs. Swords was his across the street neighbor, and he was there when the plan with Fowler was made. “I would like the land to be kept as it is,” he said.
Mary O’Connell of Old Park Lane also urged the board not to close the public hearing, out of an abundance of caution.
Cory Hinckley returned to the podium, to clarify questions about the housing they had formerly been able to rent space in at 52 Crane Ave., which had been approved. Hinckley added that the property where the camp is going in had become a dump site, where they had found Christmas trees with lights, along with tires, packs of cigarettes everywhere and other items.
“It’s our belief that putting in a building there would be cleaning up the space,” Hinckley said.
Carellas said they would need to show the Planning Board more architectural detail on the plan, and get APR approval from the state before coming back. He added to make sure they include the lighting in the plans.
Carellas also said for the public’s information, Building Inspector Carissa Lissee had responded to Emmershy’s email contesting her ruling. She said after reviewing for zoning purposes, the use for roomers falls under permitted uses. “The process is working as it’s supposed to work. Again, it’s a site plan,” Carellas said.
Planning Board member Cheryl Crowe asked Hinckley why they wouldn’t build on the main farm at 48 Crane Ave.
“Because of the flood plain. That’s what we have, that’s what we’re trying to work with,” Hinckley said.
The Site Plan review was continued until April 16. Crowe said she would like the board to visit the site before that time, which Vinskey said was permitted as a part of the application.
