HUDSON – The Hudson High School auditorium was nearly packed with Hudson residents Aug. 30 to oppose the proposed distribution warehouse facility at the former Intel site.
Residents spoke out against the project during the Hudson Planning Board hearing for Portman Industrial’s proposed 1.3-million-square-foot facility.
During public comment, Villages at Quail Run Board of Governors Vice President Diane Bemis urged the Planning Board not to let “this monstrosity be built in our backyard” and asked Planning Board Chair Robert D’Amelio if the project was “a done deal.”
D’Amelio replied that he did not know how to answer the question, which was met with a wave of groans from the audience.
D’Amelio explained that the Planning Board lacks power to deny a project like this outside of extraordinary circumstances, and the Planning Board was a long way from approving or denying Portman’s proposal.
“Is the stamp on it tonight? No,” D’Amelio said. “Is it in the box wet and already to go? Maybe.”
“This is the perfect type of project for us”
Intel confirmed earlier this summer that it planned to sell its 149-acre parcel at 75 Reed Road to Portman Industrial. Portman, in turn, plans to demolish the existing buildings and construct a 1,284,640-square-foot warehouse.
The proposed Portman project has raised concerns of abutters due to the Intel site’s proximity to two senior communities, Quail Run and Westridge, and the Hudson Children’s Center.
At the hearing, the people involved with project sought to assuage these fears, emphasizing that Portman does not want to have an antagonistic relationship with the community.
“We don’t do these types of projects without working with our neighbors and the community and addressing their concerns,” said Portman Managing Director Mike Wurstbaugh. “This is the perfect type of project for us.”
Todd Morey, a principal at Beals Associates, said that Portman would enforce statewide policies forbidding diesel trucks from idling for more than five minutes.
He said that Portman would comply with state and federal laws on emissions and is working closely with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
“You need to do better than what the code allows you to do. So we got to do better than the code,” Morey said.
Principals also discussed the potential impact on traffic. In its site plan narrative, Portman projected a total of 2,236 trips daily, including 770 truck trips and 1,466 auto trips.
Associate Principal at Howard Stein Hudson Elizabeth Peart said the traffic report her company produced showed that intersections around the site would be able to handle the new traffic generated by the project.
Upon hearing this, the audience laughed.
Morey also said that all truck traffic from the site would go directly to Route 85, and it would not go to downtown Hudson at all.
“They want to get to 495 and 290 as fast as they can,” Morey said.
“I think it insults our intelligence”
Many spoke against the proposal during the public comment portion of the hearing, prompting D’Amelio to remark that the lines to speak grew every time he looked up.
Hudson Children’s Center Director Robin Shapiro said that the proposed development was terrifying for the school due to the potential impacts of pollution and traffic.
She said the trucks would use the same roads as the parents picking up and dropping off their children. The prime times for both would overlap, Shapiro said.
Mike McCormack, who is also on the Quail Run Board of Governors, said the traffic would likely cause truck drivers to seek alternate routes through the center of Hudson.
“Telling us that they’re going to urge the tenant to tell the truck drivers not to do that – I think it insults our intelligence,” McCormack said.
At the end of the meeting, D’Amelio said that the meeting had opened his eyes to many things.
“It is a vast, bigger problem than to be honest I anticipated,” D’Amelio said.
Eldridge voices disappointment with Intel
In a conversation with the Community Advocate, State Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) said that he and State Representative Kate Hogan (D-Stow) met with concerned residents at Quail Run. He said Intel over the years had become less of a community partner over his 14 years representing Hudson before eventually walking away.
“I am very disappointed that Intel did not provide any notice to Hudson before they sold the property to this developer,” he said.
Hogan said in a statement that her office would be discussing what the project entails going forward with stakeholders in Hudson over the next few weeks.
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