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Project NarrativeVolvo Project Narrative 48 Damon Road, Northampton, MA 01060 July 13, 2020 Page 1 of 3 Introduction Cousin Investments, LLC is proposing to occupy their existing 8,080sf facility on 48 Damon Road in Northampton, Massachusetts with their recently acquired tenant, Volvo, on or before September 1, 2020. As outlined in the Zoning Permit decision issued by the Building Department, the proposed change in occupancy to an automobile dealership requires a new special permit with site plan review for an intermediate project. This narrative has been prepared in conjunction with the special permit application. It describes the proposed new occupancy, associated benefits and impacts. Existing Conditions The existing facility is located on a 0.54 acre piece of property on the north side of Damon Road, known as 48 Damon Road, Assessor’s Map 18D, Parcel 035. Vomax recently vacated the facility. During their occupancy, they were printing custom graphics on clothing and marketing products with a small retail shop onsite. Prior to their occupancy, the facility was operated as an automobile dealership, Northampton Volkswagen. The site is bounded by Route 91 on the north-northeast side, Damon Road to the south, and Cahillane Auto Body followed by the railroad to the west. The majority of the lot is covered by paved parking and access ways with less than 10% landscaped planters and lawn area. This property is in common ownership, by Cousin Investments, LLC, with 32 Damon Road, Assessor’s Map 18D, Parcel 034. This 1.65 acre lot is also currently developed with the majority of the property being covered with paved parking and access ways. Although 48 Damon Road does have a curb cut on the east side of the facility, the two facilities share another curb cut on the west side of 48 Damon Road. The t wo lots share driveways and parking areas. These properties are in the General Business (GB) District with a portion of the west corner in the Floodplain Overlay District. However, it is not within the 100-year floodplain and no changes are proposed in that area. Both lots are surrounded by MassDOT properties for I-91 and the railroad. Northampton Industrial Park lies directly across from these facilities as well as the previous Northampton Ford site. Northampton Ford was recently demolished and redeveloped with a Dunkin Donuts and another small commercial facility currently occupied by Kevin’s Haircuts. The facilities have established utility connections for city water, city sewer, natural gas, electric and data. The area is illuminated by wall packs and nearby streetlights. Stormwater sheet flows offsite towards the MADOT I-91 property and from a portion of the land in front of 48 Damon Road onto Damon Road. Volvo Project Narrative 48 Damon Road, Northampton, MA 01060 July 13, 2020 Page 2 of 3 Proposed Project The facility is intended to change tenants and operate as a full-service automobile dealership for Volvo. They will sell new and used vehicles and provide service onsite. The first floor of the existing building will be showroom on the street side and will have (5) service bays and parts storage towards the back of the facility. Offices will be located on the upper floors. Physical changes will include site improvements described below. There are no proposed changes to the façade or the interior layout of the facility at this time. • Provide additional green space (minimum 10’) along the street frontage for both 32 and 48 Damon Road. This area will be grassed and have street trees planted roughly 30’ on center. Removal of existing paved areas will decrease stormwater runoff and enhance the appearance of the facilities. • Close the existing curb cut on the east side of 48 Damon Road. This will help reduce the number of curb cuts and associated traffic congestion by focusing traffic in and out of the site to the signalized intersection. This will also reduce paving and consequently, stormwater runoff and will improve aesthetics and provide environmental benefits with additional greenspace. • Provide a landscaped, pedestrian plaza in front of 48 Damon Road. This area is currently paved and will be turned into a landscaped area with sidewalks, bike racks and street trees. The direct connection from the onsite sidewalk to the Damon Road sidewalk will improve pedestrian circulation and safety; separating pedestrian and bicycle traffic from passenger cars. The removal of paving will reduce stormwater runoff, improve aesthetics and provide environmental benefits with the additional green space. It is our opinion that the proposed occupancy is suitable for this area and that usage of utilities and generation of traffic will not be taxing. They are expected to be similar to those experienced when the facility was occupied by Northampton Volkswagen. Information regarding the dealership operation is provided below: • The facility expects to employ approximately 15 full time staff members. Planned hours of operation for the Sales Department are Monday through Thursday 9am to 7pm, Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm, closed Sunday, and for the Service Department Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm, closed Saturday and Sunday. • Electric, cable, data and gas services are in existence and will be continued. We expect services will be adequate for Volvo, as the facility will be run by the same entity that ran the Volkswagen dealership out of this facility without issue. • City sewer and water services are in place and will be reused. Based on 310 CMR 15, the estimated daily flow rates for sewer and water are 1,060 gpd and 1,176 gpd respectively. Estimated flows are based on (5) service bays generating 150 gpd per service bay and 4,100sf of office and showroom areas generating 75 gpd per 1,000sf. Volvo Project Narrative 48 Damon Road, Northampton, MA 01060 July 13, 2020 Page 3 of 3 • Existing stormwater pathways will be maintained. Stormwater will be reduced by the reduction in paved areas. • Traffic is expected to be similar to when Northampton Volkswagen occupied the facility. By closing one of the curb cuts and aligning the remaining curb cut with the signalized intersection it will provide safer, more efficient circulation. The dealership shares parking with Cahillane Auto Body. The combined lots will have parking for Volvo including (80) inventory vehicles and (25) spaces for employees, customers and service. Cahillane’s existing (21) parking spots will be maintained. Other traffic expected on the site for Volvo include car carrier deliveries and tractor trailers for parts deliveries. These deliveries typically occur once a week, during off hours and are made onsite. Utilizing the Institute for Traffic Engineers manual for Land Use 841 Automobile Sales, based on 15 employees and an 8,080sf facility, the estimated average daily trip ends is expected to be equal to roughly 300. It should be noted that this proposed project is occurring at a time when MADOT is proposing roadway improvements to Damon Road. MADOT improvements include a land taking in front of these properties to widen the existing roadway, provide new sidewalks and install a retaining wall. It is not feasible to do the proposed site improvements until the MADOT improvements have been completed. Since the timeframe for the MADOT improvements are out of the applicant’s control, but Volvo has to occupy 48 Damon Road on or before September 1, 2020 to maintain dealership rights, the applicant has committed to providing the City with a letter of credit for the dollar value of construction of any outstanding site improvements at the time they request a certificate of occupancy for Volvo. The applicant would ask that if granted, this application approval allows the applicant one year to complete site improvements after the MADOT improvements are complete and/or three years to complete the improvements under any circumstances. Summary The project will revitalize a vacant facility and provide site improvements for two properties. The additional greenspace, pedestrian plaza and elimination of a driveway will greatly improve aesthetics, safety and circulation for vehicle and pedestrian traffic, benefit the environment and decrease stormwater runoff. The benefits are not expected to noticeably impact infrastructure since the facilities have historically been in use for similar occupancies. In consideration of this information, we are asking that the City of Northampton Planning Board approve this special permit with site plan approval application.