SOUTHWICK — With practically no comments, the Planning Board approved a site plan for a self-storage facility on College Highway and a change of use for the former King Brothers Decorating Center, also on College Highway.
“Thank you very much … it’s been a long adventure,” said Jessica Thornton, the chair of the Planning Board, after closing the public hearing on the site plan application and the unanimous vote of the board to approve it.
At the board’s last meeting in June, Chris Chamberlain, a representative for developers, Jim and Ellen Boyle, presented an updated site plan for the facility that would be located on 662 College Hwy.
It was updated after the Boyles’ first attempt at securing a special permit, which began in May 2023, to build a nearly 60,000-square-foot facility got significant pushback from board members and the fire chief who called the special permit application and “bad plan.”
The Boyles withdrew the permit application last February and last month submitted a new application that reduced the size of the facility by nearly 20,000 square feet and got favorable reactions from the Fire Department and DPW.
At the last meeting, Thornton congratulated the Boyles on the replacement plan for the facility that will be built on the 3.17 acres of property between O’Reilly’s Auto Parts and the Pioneer Valley Trading Co.
“I like that it takes the site location into consideration and is also appropriately sized for the general area,” she said at that meeting.
Chamberlain, Berkshire Design Group, was at Tuesday’s meeting to answer any additional questions board members might have had, which were few, most being minor.
The facility will face College Highway, painted reddish to resemble a tobacco barn, and have nine doors for the 10-by-20-foot storage spaces. There will be an entrance into the facility with glass doors. There will also be a small office building at the entrance.
The two-story facility uses an “over/under concept” that would be fully sprinklered, meet all applicable building codes, and will have video surveillance cameras installed that cover every square inch of the facility operating 24 hours a day.
It will be between 450 and 500 feet from College Highway.
There are wetlands on the property. The Conservation Commission had already approved an order of conditions for the project.
The board’s approval of a change of use involved the former King Brothers Decorating Center at 617 College Hwy.
Springfield attorney Matthew Donohue was at the meeting representing The Tierny Organization LLC, out of West Springfield.
He said the organization is a financial planning and wealth management firm and will start with those two uses with the possibility of reconfiguring the space for an insurance professional or attorney.
Thornton said if that occurs, it would involve applying for another special permit
The company will only use the portion of the building which it is buying from its owners Kevin and Keith King.
Keith King, who attended the meeting, said he was enthusiastic about the company and it’s a service that’s needed in the community.
“We’re happy to sell the building to them,” he said.
Donohue said it’s the hope of the owners’ the Dhira Yoga Center remains there.
He stressed that the building would not be altered in any way other than changing names on the signs.
While some minor issues, like parking, didn’t meet the town’s current code, because the building was over 50 years old, most of the issues would be grandfathered in.
In fact, King and former Town Planner Jon Goddard tried to find out if a special permit was ever applied for and neither could find any record of one.
After the public hearing was closed, the board unanimously voted to approve the special permit.
Crepes Tea House, which has requested a special permit to use the three structures for outdoor dining on the property at 157 Feeding Hills Rd., requested a continuance of its public hearing.
The hearing will continue on Aug. 12.
