CHICOPEE — After hosting a public hearing on Dec. 16 and discussing it further during a City Council meeting on Dec. 17, the council voted to approve licenses for a truck stop and travel center on Burnett Road.
The final vote was approved 10-3 and the Pilot travel center will include a 16-pump gas station, a seven-position refueling area for tractor trailer trucks, a Wendy’s restaurant, will be open 24/7 and will provide other amenities for truckers.
In November, two new applications for a service station license and amended fuel storage license were both applied for by Pilot Travel Centers LLC at 357 Burnett Rd., next to the Pride Travel Center.
During the City Council meeting on Nov. 19, multiple residents wearing a “Stop the Truck Stop” sticker used the public comment portion of the meeting to speak against a proposed truck stop that had already been voted against once.
Back in 2022, the same company proposed a plan to build a 16-pump gas station for vehicles and a seven-position gas station for tractor-trailers. The property would also include a Wendy’s restaurant and other amenities such as a convenience store and showers for truckers.
Many residents, especially those in Ward 6, or who live by Burnett Road, spoke against the proposed plan due the amount of traffic and accidents endured on that road already.
They talked about the horrific accidents they have already seen on Burnett Road, the traffic and their hesitation to allow their kids to walk on that Burnett Road to get to school.
They also said they think the truck stop will only add to the traffic on Interstate 90 and Interstate 291.
The original plan was unanimously voted “no” by the City Council and the decision was upheld in the Hampden Superior Court after the applicant filed for appeal in June.
The new application submission remained the same as the one in 2022 and now that it’s approved, the two year saga of this project will move forward.
Before approval, residents had another chance to voice their concern as both applications were voted by the City Council to be sent to the License Committee for a public hearing which took place on Dec. 16 and before the full City Council on Dec. 17.
During the License Committee and City Council meeting, residents filled the room and joined remotely to either watch or voice their opinions about the proposed plan. Many talked about the traffic study showing this will not improve the current situation and also shared horror stories many have experienced themselves in the proposed area.
The public comment portion of the City Council meeting took about an hour and a half to get through all the speakers.
Even though the License Committee resulted in an unfavorable recommendation, suggesting the City Council deny the permit, Ward 2 City Councilor Shane Brooks said it was considered unfavorable because the vote was split 2-2 with one abstention.
During the City Council meeting, Brooks, who also serves on the License Committee, brought up the possibility of postponing the vote and sending it back to the License Committee after residents expressed they wanted more time to speak but that motion did not pass.
Many councilors expressed how disrespectful some residents were while discussing this proposal with them in the weeks prior to the vote.
Ward 6 City Councilor Sam Shumsky revealed that he received numerous calls that included threats of injury and death and report that someone loosened his lug nuts on his car after he voted yes to send the item to the License Committee for a public hearing.
Ward 1 City Councilor Abigail Arriaga said she stopped calling residents back after because of the “disrespect I have gotten from certain phone calls. I actually turned my phone off.”
When it came to the vote, many City Councilors in other wards expressed their sympathy for Shumsky but also mentioned how they received calls from many residents who said they wanted this project to help with taxes and the local economy.
Ward 8 City Councilor Gary Labrie, who voted yes, stated the proposal would be good for the taxpayers of the city.
Ward 9 City Councilor Mary Beth Pniak-Costello talked more about what she heard from residents.
She said, “With this type of dialogue, we’ve learned that taxes are very, very important and sometimes we take taxes for granted but what I did learned through the residents and through the business community is we’re going to have to do better at how we do our taxes, how we set our tax rate. I’m in Ward 9, I got a lot of calls that want this development, lot of calls.”
Ward 3 Susan Goff also expressed that she feels for the residents in Ward 6 but thinks this new travel center and truck stop can also boost the local economy with people outside the city visiting.
After each City Council member voiced their opinion on the proposed project, the council approved both licenses 10-3.
City Councilors Sam Shumsky, Jerry Roy and Fred Krampits voted no.
