HAMPDEN – People were still filing into the cafeteria at Thornton W. Burgess Middle School for the Hampden Planning Board meeting when Interim Chair John Matthews called for a continuance on the matter that had encouraged more than 80 people to attend.

The petitioner, Daniel P. Garvey, agreed to a second extension on his request for a special permit to build a self-storage facility at 2 Somers Rd. The proposed business has caused an uproar among some residents who have voiced concerns over lower property values and the deterioration of the “rural” nature of the community. A petition with 296 signatures opposing the self-storage facility was submitted into the record at the meeting.

A public hearing on the storage facility special permit was opened on July 28. While the hearing was continued until Aug. 11, extreme heat led to that meeting being canceled. Due to the extenuating circumstances, Garvey agreed to a waiver of the state’s rule requiring hearings on a special permit to be completed within 65 days of submission.  

After that meeting, two members of the Planning Board, Robert Howarth and Philip Schneider, resigned from the board amid complaints and aspersions on their character from the public through social media. The loss of two members left the Planning Board with enough people for a quorum, but not enough to vote on a special permit, which requires four members.

Matthews gave Garvey the choice of another extension until Sept. 28 – when it is expected that at least one new member will be seated – or of withdrawing his request without prejudice, which would have allowed him to resubmit the issue at a later time. Garvey agreed to the second extension.

Board of Selectmen Chair Donald Davenport and Town Administrator Bob Markel had voiced concerns that the permit might be “constructively approved” if a new member was not seated by the Sept. 8 expiration of the first extension, but Matthews told Reminder Publishing that the petitioner would have had to submit notice that he was seeking constructive approval two weeks in advance. That did not happen.

Matthews said that he hoped to schedule the remaining three interviews for the board’s Sept. 15 meeting. After the interviews are complete, the body will request a joint session with the Board of Selectmen to choose the replacement Planning Board members.

The Sept. 15 Planning Board meeting was also scheduled to take up the special permit request for a separate self-storage facility on an abutting parcel at 16 Somers Rd. The petitioner for that permit, Hampden Farms, LLC., may be faced with the same decision to extend or withdraw, since a new member will not have been seated.

The only other issue discussed at the meeting was the approval of a new florist at 11 Allen St. in the Hampden Plaza. Brittany Procon is the owner of Kinderhook’s Flowers and Gifts, a subscription-based florist that would work with local farms and wholesalers to offer flowers and small gifts for pickup or delivery. The business model would develop a customer database and remind users of upcoming special occasions for which they can order flowers. There will also be in-store sales and a “stem bar” from which people can create their own arrangements.