Freetown, MA. Battle Rages Over Traffic

Opponents hope traffic solution will jam up Freetown mall [Boston Globe]

When officials from KGI Properties LLC heard about an 80-acre parcel of land on a former fly ash dump with access to a major highway, they saw opportunity - a prime location for a shopping center with two large retail stores.

But when Brian R. Dunning, who lives in the sleepy Payne’s Cove area, studied KGI’s plans for the 450,000-square-foot “Payne’s Crossing” development, he saw what he considers to be a pending disaster for Freetown.

The battle has raged ever since. Many residents, convinced that a Lowe’s home improvement store and a Wal-Mart are headed their way, have rallied to block the development they fear will choke their roadways, endanger threatened turtles, and pollute the bay. Their Assonet Bay Action Committee now boasts more than 300 supporters.

It is, by their own estimation, an uphill battle. Dunning offers this sober evaluation: “I think the odds are in favor of the developer. But it’s a little bit like David and Goliath. I just know that if this goes in, the town will be forever changed.”

Historically, Freetown has not been one to limit growth. It adopted basic zoning districts only 10 years ago - long after most communities had them in place.

KGI and longtime property owner Ken Rezendes have been working to gain approval from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs but have had setbacks. Opponents say that except for a state review required by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act, they have very little ammunition.

Payne’s Crossing, if built, is expected to draw an additional 9,000 to 11,300 vehicles to the town each day, making traffic a key issue.

In a decision released Monday, Ian A. Bowles, the state’s environmental affairs secretary, ordered the proponents to go back to the drawing board on the traffic issues and prepare a second supplemental final environmental impact report.

Massachusetts Highway Department officials panned portions of the project during the first review. They said the company’s $3.3 million traffic mitigation plan, which includes three new traffic signals, won’t be sufficient to prevent backups around the interchange of Route 24 and South Main Street at Exit 9.

They said it would be especially problematic during holiday traffic and in emergencies.

Bowles’s decision states that it is possible the company could revise its plans to deal with Phase 1 of the project - about 377,000 square feet of retail space.

However, he said, Phase 2 of the project, which includes another 80,690 square feet of retail space, cannot be built without widening South Main Street (also Route 79 in that area) to four lanes.

That would require the developers to replace the bridge on Route 24 that passes over the road, a move that opponents hope will be too costly to consider.

Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, September 25, 2007

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