Nahant St. residents resist 40B plans

By MARK SARDELLA 

WAKEFIELD – Traffic was the main topic at last week’s hearing on the proposed 32 Nahant St. 40B project. The 24-unit apartment building and another, larger 40B proposed for 129 Nahant St. have led to neighborhood opposition and concerns on the part of the ZBA due to the size and scale of the projects.  

Attorney Christopher Alphen represented developer Scott Green, the developer of 32 Nahant St., who was also in attendance at the Zoom hearing. 

Alphen introduced traffic engineer Scott Thornton of Vanasse & Associates, who conducted the traffic study for the developer. 

Thornton noted that traffic counts were done on workdays to capture morning and afternoon peak levels as well as school drop-off and pickup times. He said that he also reviewed police crash data for the area. 

Thornton said that the proposed project would have a minimal impact on traffic, increasing volume between 0.1 percent and 0.3 percent on Nahant and nearby streets. He added that his study showed that the project would have no discernable impact at any of the intersections that were looked at. 

Thornton noted that when he presented his study to the Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC), they did have a number of concerns related to emergency vehicle access to the site and the ability of emergency vehicles to turn around once in the parking lot of the proposed project. 

Town Engineer William Renault was also at the Zoom hearing and echoed the TAC’s concerns regarding emergency vehicle access and maneuverability on the site. He also expressed concern that delivery vehicles might park on the street because it would be easier than entering and exiting the site. 

Renault summarized the TAC’s concerns regarding delivery vehicles, emergency vehicle access to the site and vehicle speeds on the street as well as cars queuing on Nahant Street from the intersection of Main Street during peak times.  

“The TAC feels that cumulatively, these conditions will likely result in a negative impact on safety in the area,” Renault said. 

ZBA member Chip Tarbell said that in his years on the board, he had never seen a TAC report that said the design of a project would negatively impact safety. 

“It comes down to size and location,” Tarbell said, adding that the project site is too compact and “just not right for the area.” 

Board member David Hatfield said that he was less concerned with traffic volume and more concerned with emergency vehicle access and circulation within the proposed site, noting that there is not sufficient space for a fire engine to turn around once it enters the site. He added that emergency vehicles will park on the street if they can’t easily access and move around on the site. 

Chairman Tom Lucey agreed, suggesting that delivery vehicles will just pull up on the curb rather than enter the cramped site. 

“All safety issues relate to the size of the project,” Lucey said. 

Thornton said that he understood the point regarding fire truck access and circulation, but he insisted that the condition was not unlike many other sites. He said that he could demonstrate that delivery vehicles, ambulances and police cars will be able to turn around on the site. 

Attorney Alphen said that the project team would be writing a response letter to address the concerns of Town Engineer Renault and the TAC. 

When the hearing was opened to the public, a number of residents spoke against the project. 

Audra Bartz of Nahant Street said that as it is now, drivers illegally enter Franklin Street (a one-way) to avoid the traffic backups on Nahant Street. The addition of 24 more units would further increase the danger on Nahant Street, she said. 

“Other than greed,” she said, “I don’t understand why townhouses can’t go in there, not a huge apartment building.” 

Paula Gardella of Wilson Road said that Nahant Street is a unique road. “This is a disaster waiting to happen,” she said. “It’s not safe.” 

Karen McMaster of Nahant Street agreed. 

“This is a neighborhood,” she said. A complex doesn’t fit. It needs to be smaller. It needs to be re-thought.” 

Carl Jaena of Nahant Street concurred. 

“Nahant Street is already a disaster,” he said. “This project will make it worse.” 

Other residents also commented that the project was too big for the narrow, winding street. 

Joseph Conway of Wilson Road pointed out that things will only get worse when snowbanks make the street even narrower. He also pointed out that Nahant Street is used by many students to get to and from Wakefield Memorial High School and Northeast Metro Tech. 

Cheryl Drews of Nahant Street said that the footprint of the building needs to be reduced to allow separate entry and exit driveways and better vehicle circulation. 

Board member David Hatfield said that he hoped the development team had heard the concerns and was prepared to make significant changes. 

Luey also told attorney Alphen that he needs to consider extending the board’s time to render a decision. The current deadline is Sept. 11, 2024. 

The hearing was continued to the ZBA’s next meeting on Aug. 14.