This just in!! Exciting vote coming this Wednesday
We, Stop the Riverneck Road Project, have fought tirelessly over the last nearly 18 months. We put up lawn signs and started a petition.
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Stop the Riverneck Road Project is a grassroots group of individuals and families working together to preserve their neighborhood and the small town of Chelmsford, MA from being overwhelmed by a massive distribution center and warehouse.
The project is being developed by the Davis Companies, a Boston-based big developer. They have purchased the old Mercury Computer property located at 191, 195, 199, and 201 Riverneck Road in Chelmsford, MA.
They plan to raze the 2 current office buildings and in their place, build a warehouse and distribution center that is 247,860 square feet in size and 40 feet tall.
Riverneck Road is an east-to-west urban minor road in Chelmsford, MA that connects 3A (Gorham Street) to Rte. 129 (Billerica Road). It is the main route of travel from East Chelmsford, Lowell, and Billerica for many residents and commuters who travel across Chelmsford.
To put the scope of the project into perspective, the Chelmsford Mall, located at 265 Chelmsford Street – Kohls, Petsmart and Staples – is 241,545 square feet and 16 feet tall.
The Home Depot in Tewksbury, MA is 102,200 square feet and 28 feet tall.
This project is twice the size of a Home Depot and larger than the former Chelmsford Mall.
In a conventional house, one story measures between 9 and 14 feet. Therefore, 40 feet would equate to a four-story apartment building or office building.
This project has been ongoing for the past 14 months — and counting! In October 2021, the Davis Companies presented at a Chelmsford Planning Board meeting to request “applicability” for their project under Article XXIV: Route 129 Business Amenities Overlay District (BAOD), Article XXI: Community Enhancement and Investment Overlay District (CEIOD) sub-sections 195-111 D, 195-115, 195-116, and associated Special Permits per Article XIV: Aquifer Protection District, sub-section 195-74, Article XV: Floodplain District, sub-section 195-82, Article XI: Major Business Complexes, and any other permit relief, including but not limited to Articles V and IX, as may be required under the Chelmsford Zoning Bylaw to allow the proposed use/project.
Since this time, the Davis Companies has presented at 7 additional Chelmsford Planning Board meetings, 6 of which included public input. The dates of these seven meetings were: Jan 12, 2022; Feb 23, 2022; Mar 23, 2022; May 25, 2022; Sep 14, 2022; Oct 12, 2022; Jan 25, 2023. Additionally, the Davis Companies hosted 2 community meetings with abutters and neighbors.
The residents are against the project due to the negative impact it will have to our neighborhood and community as a whole. More importantly, the project does not meet the requirements of the special permit criteria outlined in the Town of Chelmsford Bylaws Section B of 195-03:
Special permits shall be granted by the special permit granting authority, unless otherwise specified herein, only upon its written determination that the adverse effects of the proposed use will not outweigh its beneficial impacts to the Town or the neighborhood, in view of the particular characteristics of the site and of the proposal in relation to that site. In addition to any specific factors that may be set forth in this chapter, the determination shall include consideration of each of the following:
If you see them around town, buy them a coffee, shake their hand
and thank them for the valuable service they are providing to our town.
Once completed and in operation, the warehouse is going to cause a significant increase in traffic.
The Davis Companies stated trucks coming from Rte. 495 will exit at Rte. 110 and travel Golden Cove Road to Billerica Road and finally to Riverneck Road. Trucks coming from Rte. 3 will exit at Rte. 129, travel down Billerica Road to Riverneck Road.
Per their own traffic study, the Davis Companies’ proposal will add up to 1148 round trips of traffic to the area, and will bring many surrounding intersection traffic ratings down, often from level E to F.
Yes, but they are misleading you. First of all, they mean 40 round trips, so neighbors will see 80 trucks per day on the access road. Additionally, per Davis’s draft conditions, their definition of trucks are the largest class of trucks.
Read the “Additional Proposed Traffic Conditions” number 11 in the “Draft Conditions” they submitted to the Planning Board.
“The Applicant agrees to limit the number of “Tractor Trailers” (as defined below) entering and exiting the Site and on the “Access Road”, as defined herein, to a number no greater than an average daily number of 40 round trips per day (in and out equals one round trip) (“Tractor Trailer Limit”), which shall be calculated in the manner set forth below.”For purposes of this condition, “Tractor Trailer” shall be defined as “a truck classified as Class 8 or above, consisting of a tractor attached to a semitrailer or trailer with four or more axles as defined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) used for transporting loads” and “day” shall be defined as that period from 5:00 AM to 12:00 AM.”
Translation: This section limits large 18-wheelers. It does not include smaller tractor trailers or box trucks in vehicle classes 5 -8. Those trucks will be traveling down Riverneck Road without any restrictions.
According to the Traffic Impact Assessment that Davis submitted, section 4-2 states that the estimated total vehicle trips per day may range from 430 trips (860 total vehicles passing) per day, to 1148 trips (2296 total vehicles passing), depending on useage.
Bottom Line — The truck access road solves ZERO traffic issues and instead spreads them out and makes them worse.
The Davis Companies Claim
Fact Check
We, Stop the Riverneck Road Project, have fought tirelessly over the last nearly 18 months. We put up lawn signs and started a petition.
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