South Hadley unveils zone changes in works for busy Route 33/202 corridor
Published: 01-19-2025 3:40 PM |
SOUTH HADLEY — As they head toward finalizing proposed rezoning regulations along the Route 202/33 corridor, town officials invited residents to weigh in on the plans at a public forum late last week, and weigh in they did, citing concerns about traffic, affordable housing, pedestrian safety and housing density.
Emily Innes of Innes Associates, hired by the town to assist in the process, presented the zoning recommendations for residential and mixed-use districts in the corridor — the busiest stretch of road in town — to about 50 residents at a fourth public forum last Thursday. Those recommendations were culled in part from residents’ feedback at three previous forums.
The plans, which will likely be presented at Town Meeting in May, show a proposal for a residential core sandwiched between two mixed-use zoning designations across the “L”-shaped corridor stretching from Willimansett Street going into Chicopee and Granby Road that leads to Granby.
This model, said Innes, will allow walkable access from the residential core to the businesses of the mixed-use zones.
The residential core was defined as an area that will prioritize “residential identity” and provide “diverse housing options,” while the mixed-use areas will integrate both residential and commercial spaces.
The only zoning change proposed for residential lots would be the ability of current single-family homes to be converted to three-family homes with the town’s approval.
In areas zoned for business use, the changes would welcome retail sales, and would also change current zoning to allow for restaurants to offer outdoor dining. Other uses that would be allowed include food trucks, a brewery and/or distillery, and a “neighborhood cafe.”
Certain prohibitions would remain in place, including a town-wide marijuana dispensary ban, and a restriction forbidding a gas station or drive-through business on the corner of the corridor. All buildings will also be mandated to not exceed the current limit of four stories, or 55 feet, per current town zoning regulations.
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According to data collected through three previous forums, Innes said that the community expressed a desire for more traditional construction materials, and that the community “universally” embraced pitched roofs over flat ones.
People-friendly landscapes and mixed-use buildings with street level storefronts were also supported, as well as an increase in public green spaces such as pocket parks. Design guidelines touching on these aspects will be produced by the Planning Board after the zoning is updated.
Traffic was a key concern for a handful of residents at last week’s forum. Many related how long it takes to pull out of their driveways and businesses along Route 202, which has a speed limit of 45 mph.
Innes said that traffic is not part zoning study, but is rather the responsibility of developers in the future.
“Traffic studies aren’t usually done during zoning studies,” she said. “We’re not traffic engineers.”
Related to traffic, some residents expressed concern about potential problems that could come with increased density in the proposed residential core along Granby Road.
M P Chevrette, or “Chevy,” a resident of the Hadley Village Condominiums that borders Granby Road, said the changes will make traffic worse while not addressing the another need in town — increasing subsidized housing for low-income residents.
“South Hadley has less than 6% long-term restricted capital A affordable housing. We need to have an additional 300 units or more built to serve the needs of low income or housing-cost burdened residents,” he said.
Concluding his three-minute address, Chevrette said that, “Our neighborhood is dealing with high traffic volume on Route 202 as well as potential water table issues. Therefore, I hope that 202/33 committee will make such recommendations that will prevent inserting dense housing along an already highly impacted area.”
He also questioned adding outdoor dining, especially with the number of tractor-trailers that use Route 202. “Nobody will want to eat outside,” he said.
Planning Board member Joanna Brown highlighted her concern, which was a lack of seriously pursuing green spaces.
Given the global climate crisis, Brown considers it irresponsible for the town to propose zoning that would allow individual properties in the corridor to use up to 80% of their land for impervious surfaces. Impervious spaces are things like roads, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways that do not allow water to soak into the ground.
According to Mike Beauchemin, of the Route 202/33 Corridor Rezoning Advisory Committee, which has also been instrumental in spearheading the proposed zone changes, said following Thursday’s forum that it was especially productive to hear from community members who live directly on the corridor.
“I think we’re getting some very actionable feedback from public forums, which I’m so glad so many people came so that we can adjust [our plan] to incorporate as many of the desires that the folks have — folks who live there and folks in town who also have a say,” Beauchemin said.
He said at the Advisory Committee’s upcoming meeting they will discuss the possibility of expanding the residential core to take up a larger chunk of the corridor, as well as gather the information community members provided in their testimonies Thursday.