Timeline set for council’s final Pilot travel center vote

Aug. 2, 2022 | Matt Conway
mconway@thereminder.com

A coalition opposing the truck stop expresses their views via signs posted around Chicopee.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

CHICOPEE – The Utility Subcommittee of the City Council hosted an informational session about the Pilot Travel Center on Jul 25. Going forward, the controversial topic will appear in one more subcommittee before a final City Council vote.

Ward 6 City Councilor Derek Dobosz shared during the meeting that the License Subcommittee will host another public hearing on the project on Aug. 8. The councilor said the final vote will occur during the City Council meeting on Sept. 8.

The proposed Pilot travel center on 357 Burnett Rd. continues to be a debated subject after two months of deliberation. The Pilot team originally presented the project during a May 5 Planning Board meeting in which preliminary plans received approval. Pilot aspires to revitalize the Burnett Road location as a travel center that includes a truck stop, a non-drive-thru Wendy’s and gas fueled by an above ground gas storage tank.

The Planning Board then approved site’s definitive plan during a lengthy July 14 meeting. Some of the key revisions from the preliminary plan include reducing the distance between the travel center and its parking spaces, adding outdoor seating, additional electric vehicle chargers and installing a fire suppression system.

Throughout the process, residents of the Burnett Road area continue to voice numerous concerns with the project. The public outcry even inspired a robo-call sent throughout Chicopee asking for residents to speak against the project before the May 5 Planning Board meeting and a Facebook page entitled Chicopee Against the Stop: The Truck Stop Stops Here.

Resident complaints include the potential traffic increase the travel center will inflict upon the area, the site’s proximity to a similarly-themed Pride location and the potential dangerousness of an above ground gas tank. While Pilot assured residents that the traffic study they presented during the July 14 meeting was independent of their influence, resident David Amos and others demanded another study be conducted.

“We are fully supportive of smart developments…the potential for shared community at this site would be simply wasted by this…You really need a full, independent traffic study,” said Amos during the July 14 meeting.

Vice President of Pilot Economic Development Patrick Deptula addressed some of the neighborhoods’ concerns. He argued that above ground diesel tank remains “invaluable” as it allows Pilot to closely monitor its status. Deptula also promised residents that Pilot would be a good neighbor to the area.

“This is one step in a long process…I am confident that when we are done, we will be an outstanding neighbor,” said Deptula. who shared he is open to having another independent traffic study accomplished.

The July 25 informational meeting focused mainly on the above ground gas storage tank. Ultimately, the Pilot team said the subject did not belong on the agenda due to the tank not counting as a utility.

Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB) Director of Land Development John Furman shared that the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency is requiring the building to be entirely electric. He assured residents that the electric line “has nothing to do with the fuel storage tanks.”

“A fuel tank is not a utility, whether it’s above ground or below ground,” said Furman.

Furman also stressed that the project continues to be confronted by misinformation from the public.

“There are individuals in this room who were very outspoken at that Planning Board meeting…The misinformation continues to come for this project,” said Furman.

Members of the Utility Subcommittee concluded the meeting by motioning for Planning Board minutes to be provided for the council before the Aug. 8 licensing meeting.

Readers can learn more background about the proposed Pilot travel center at https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/chicopee/chicopee-planning-board-approves-controversial-pil/.

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