WESTFIELD – Three new businesses will be part of the “WestPark” development by the Westfield Massachusetts Turnpike entrance now that the Westfield Planning Board unanimously approved plans.

James Channing for Pride Stores, Jason Adams from McMahon Assoc. and Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Assoc. appeared before the Planning Board on April 6 with a revised plan for the proposed WestPark. The new design changed access and exit points for the project, which includes a new Pride Station, truck fueling station, Starbucks and Hot Table. It received unanimous approval from board members.

Channing said Pride Stores originally applied for the master development plan in 2010. The Pride Station and diesel fueling station will be located on the parcel north of Friendly Way, the longtime site of the Friendly’s Restaurant, which will be razed.

Most of the entrance and exit changes were proposed for the parcel next to the jughandle, where Starbucks and Hot Table will be located. The most significant change from the previous plan is that the original entrance to the site from the jughandle has been omitted and replaced with an entrance and exit from a slip lane on Southampton Road. Levesque said the new Southampton Road access will bring cars right into the drive-thru lane, and out again onto Southampton Road.

Levesque said eliminating the entrance from the jughandle will keep traffic off. “We think that’s a real big improvement,” he said. There is still an “exit only” to the jughandle toward the rear of the property which customers can take to go to the turnpike or continue back to the industrial park.  There is also “enter only” access to the property from Friendly Way.

“Generally speaking, the Pride location hasn’t changed drastically. There were a number of updates made to the proposed Hot Table and Starbucks location which affects the site circulation and is based on feedback from the Engineering Department and MassDOT. If and when we do receive local approval, we will still have to vet this through the MassDOT process,” Levesque said before the vote.

Levesque said the city has been talking to MassDOT about other improvements to the area. “In general, where we’re at, we think we have a site plan that works well with what the city will be proposing independent of what we have. We have an entrance that the city generally supports and will work through MassDOT with us,” he said.

Other permits approved by the Planning Board at the meeting included a new house at 23 Allen Ave., a change of use to offices for an insulation business at 845 Airport Industrial Park Rd., and a change of use to a retail showroom at 975 North Rd.

Plans for the house on Allen Avenue, also presented by Levesque on behalf of property owners Willian C. Romani and William J. Romani required a special permit to allow for a reduction in lot size requirements.

Levesque said adjustments included a side setback to the property, which was being divided into two lots. The 1,800 square-foot two-story home being proposed will have a single car garage, front porch, side gabled roof and rear porch, patio or deck, and an access on Allen Avenue.

Several abutters had emailed their opposition to the proposal, citing congestion and safety and visibility concerns on exiting Allen Avenue, a dead end, onto West School Street.

Levesque said the house meets the requirements of the infill ordinance. “It makes sense, you have sewer, water, gas, power – if you’re going to develop anywhere, infill where you can. It increases the tax base and is not a huge demand on additional services. It’s not inconsistent with the neighborhood in terms of congestion,” he said, adding that the house will be compliant with the building code.

The Planning Board conditioned the permit to include no plantings above three feet on the corner at the intersection, replacing trees that come down, and razing the existing garage structure unless relief is granted from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

A continued special permit to allow Kevin Barbieri to relocate the offices of his insulation business to Airport Industrial Park Road passed with no objections.

Barbieri said his business works on job sites in several states, and the location would be office only plus storage of safety equipment for staging, primarily ladders. He said excess material from job sites would also be stored there temporarily and reused on new job sites.

“You wouldn’t be able to recognize it as an insulation company, just offices,” Barbieri said in his earlier appearance before the board.

Appearing for the first time before the board was Timothy Drost, owner of Window World of Western Massachusetts in the Hampton Ponds Plaza, who is looking to purchase the property next door at 975 North Rd. for offices and showroom space. He said he plans to improve the look of the property by removing overgrown brush in front and knocking down an old fence. He will also be removing a gravel parking area in front of the building.

“We want to restore the front to more of a natural state,” Drost said. He said he will be working with Conservation on new plantings for the site. 

He also said there will be no trucks on the property. “We will improve the property dramatically,” he said before the special permit was granted.