NORTHBOROUGH – Whether or not traffic should be able to turn left out of 300 Bartlett Street was raised at a June 27 Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting.
The site is currently occupied by FedEx Freight.
The owner of the property, NBI Northborough, is seeking a special permit to extend a non-conforming use and a special permit with site plan approval to expand an existing trucking terminal.
Specifically, 20 loading bays would be added, as would a break room and a new maintenance building for trucking terminal equipment.
Based off correspondence and conversations at the previous ZBA meeting, project engineer Peter Ellison said the applicant knows that the “key issue” is traffic and truck traffic in and around the existing residential neighborhoods.
He said NBI has worked with Planning Director Laurie Connors and Town Engineer Fred Litchfield to come up with a list of restrictions that could be put on the site. As part of those restrictions, FedEx Freight would restrict heavy commercial trucks from driving on the portion of Bartlett Street between Lyman and Main streets, install new signs at the site’s driveway both directing traffic to the east and describe the restrictions and provide driver training and education in the pre-shift meetings.
FedEx Freight would restrict from both entering and leaving the site from and to the west. The one exception to that restriction would be for deliveries to Lyman Street.
According to Ellison, currently there are no turning restrictions in place for NBI.
After the last meeting, NBI met with officials from FedEx Freight and Amazon. FedEx Freight reported that their business relies on making deliveries to Lyman Street. FedEx average 15 to 30 deliveries to Lyman Street a month.
“Restricting that left turn out would really hinder their operations,” Ellison said.
According to his presentation, the current route to 35 Lyman Street taking a left turn is 0.9 miles and takes about three minutes. The alternative route is 8.9 miles down Routes 495 and 9. That trip would take about 21 minutes, Ellison said.
In terms of making physical changes to the intersection to prevent a left turn, this portion of the intersection doesn’t belong to NBI but to neighboring Amazon.
According to Ellison, when NBI met with the town and Amazon, Amazon was open to a conversation about redesigning the intersection of Bartlett Street and the driveway, based off the approvals that are in place for their company.
“But shortly after that meeting, we met with FedEx Freight and learned about their deliveries and operations that happen on Lyman Street,” Ellison said. “They really, at that time, were not willing to give up the left turn through the physical restrictions.
ZBA weighs in
Chair Paul Tagliaferri said while allowing the left turns to Lyman Street makes sense on paper, he was concerned with enforcement.
“I think [Inspector of Buildings and Zoning Enforcement Officer Bob Frederico] made the point last time that it’s very difficult to enforce a condition where you’re conditioning both the exit and entry of a truck at a certain site and making sure that they’re making a turn at a certain site,” he said.
ZBA member Brad Blanchette said this is a “hot topic” in Northborough.
He referenced recent news that a Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School student was killed in a tractor trailer crash while pulling out of school.
“We want you guys to be a good neighbor, and we want you guys to stay here, but that one mile stretch is a hot topic,” said Blanchette.
During the public comment portion, Planning Board Chair Kerri Martinek said the board has spent the last several years “really, really fighting for this section of town,” including having every other warehouse on Bartlett prohibit the turn.
“We made it non-negotiable and we stuck to it, and I think that we need to continue to do that,” Martinek said.
She said that FedEx recently reported making $90.2 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2023.
“I don’t think 30 deliveries on Lyman Street puts a dent in that,” Martinek said. “To the point that [resident Jack Wixted] made earlier, if one truck has to go around per day to make that 30 [deliveries], it’s still far better than the seven or eight trucks that we see go through downtown almost every day.”
Before this hearing ended, NBI Northborough’s Jeff Sullivan asked the ZBA if the left turn was the fundamental traffic issue and suggested that the turning restriction could be added to the order for conditions.
“In my opinion, Mr. Chair, that shows a strong, good faith effort for FedEx to get their traffic, if all their traffic has to turn right,” said Mark Rutan.
Ultimately, the Zoning Board of Appeals continued the public hearing to their July 25 meeting. ZBA members also expressed interest in more information about the proposed signs and training for drivers.
