Consultant: Brightview’s traffic & parking impact will be minimal
After the town’s traffic consultant, John Kennedy, outlined his findings and recommendations with respect to the 130-unit Brightview Senior Living facility proposed on Crescent Street, Wakefield MA, Board of Appeals member Chip Tarbell had one question.
“Based on traffic and parking,” Tarbell asked, “if all of your comments and concerns are answered, would there be any reason you would recommend not building the project?”
“No, there is not,” Kennedy replied.
Kennedy is the International President of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Founded in 1930, ITE is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals. ITE is also a standards development organization designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). Kennedy is also a senior principal at engineering firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB), where he played a key role in keeping traffic moving throughout Boston’s Big Dig project.
At a ZBA hearing lasting over two hours last night, Kennedy reviewed his analysis of the Brightview traffic and parking plan. The plan, developed for Shelter Development by traffic engineer Jason Plourde of Tighe & Bond, has been the subject of three meetings of the Traffic Advisory Committee since December. TAC chairman Police Lt. Steven Skory flanked Kennedy throughout his presentation.
Kennedy said that the proposed combined assisted living/independent living project would be a less intensive use, traffic-wise, than what is there now. The facility would generate 370 vehicle trips per day, he said, whereas the site as it presently exists (with one office building and six residential homes) generates 640 vehicle trips per day.
Even at peak hours traffic would be less with the Brightview facility than under current conditions, Kennedy said, with morning peak traffic reduced by half and the evening peak cut by one-third.
Kennedy also said that based on his calculations the 84 parking spaces proposed for the lower level garage was an appropriate number and was sufficient to meet the town’s bylaw requirements.
He did have some concerns, Kennedy said, several of which Shelter has already addressed, including the width of the aisles in the parking garage. One of the aisles was only 22 feet wide as opposed the recommended minimum of 24 feet. But Kennedy said that Shelter had adjusted the garage plan and widened the aisle.
Another concern was the width of the garage entrance at only 22 feet, which Kennedy said was “tight.” He recommended widening the entrance to 24-26 feet and eliminating one parking space, cutting parking to a total of 83 spaces, which still meets the required parking space count.
Kennedy also recommended providing a more direct route for Brightview residents to walk to the downtown. Under the current plan, residents would leave via the main doors on Crescent Street. Kennedy proposed an easement from the back of the building leading out to Main Street.
The TAC also recommended a minimum age requirement of 62 for Brightview’s independent living residents, Kennedy said. He noted that if the age were lower, then the calculations for vehicle counts and trip rates would go up as more people would likely still be working and have cars. A Brightview facility in Danvers has such an age restriction, Kennedy said.
Kennedy also discussed parking on Crescent Street. Other than areas where it could impede Brightview’s driveway sightlines, He recommended continuing to allow parking on Crescent Street because parked cars tend to have a “traffic calming” effect, making drivers go slower.
Kennedy made recommendations for the location of crosswalks and suggested a possible reconfiguration of the island at the bottom of Eaton Street. He also recommended requiring Brightview to pay for any new street signage that may be required as a result of the project.
When the hearing was opened to the public, Stanley Kolinsky of 5 Eaton St. insisted that Eaton Street would be a prime location for overflow parking from the Brightview facility. But ZBA members questioned that assumption, noting that the Kennedy did not envision such overflow occurring except on rare occasions.
Ryan Sullivan of 12 Crescent Street said that although peak traffic may be reduced, he expected off-peak traffic in his neighborhood would increase significantly. Kennedy admitted that off-peak traffic may go up “a bit,” but doubted that it would be significant.
David Knudson of 10 Eaton St. said that he worked for the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, which frequently uses traffic consulting firms like Kennedy’s VHB. He expressed confidence in Kennedy’s conclusions, noting that the ITE standards he employed tend to be conservative as opposed to anecdotal experience.
ZBA chairman David Hatfield read into the record a letter signed by more than 20 residents of the Lincoln School senior housing facility opposing the Brightview project.
Representing Shelter Development and Brightview, attorney Brian McGrail said that they would continue working with Kennedy to comply with his recommendations. In the meantime, he said that his client would work at putting together an Operation and Maintenance Plan for the board to review at its Feb. 25 meeting. He said that if the plan was not ready by then, he would ask for a continuance to the following meeting.
The board continued the hearing to Feb. 25.
[This story originally appeared in the February 12, 2015 Wakefield Daily Item.]
Filed under: Feature stories, News, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: Assisted Living, Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, Brian McGrail, Brightview Senior Living, independent living, Institute of Transportation Engineers, ITE, John Kennedy, Lt. Steven Skory, Mark Sardella, parking, Shelter Development, TAC, traffic, Traffic Advisory Committee, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., VHB, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
Search this site
Categories
Flickr Photos
Archives
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
Recent Comments
Mark Sardella on A very Special Town Meeti… John Breithaupt on A very Special Town Meeti… Mark Sardella on A very Special Town Meeti… John Breithaupt on A very Special Town Meeti… Dan Noren on A very Special Town Meeti… Blog Stats
- 368,034 hits
LINKS
No Responses Yet to “Consultant: Brightview’s traffic & parking impact will be minimal”