Pedestrian Access, Sidewalks A Concern With Meetinghouse Rd. Project

CHATHAM – The question of how residents, especially youngsters, will get to and from the proposed affordable housing development on Meetinghouse Road continues to dominate discussions about the project.

 Developer Pennrose LLC has ruled out a sidewalk along the west side of Meetinghouse Road (which is also Route 137), preferring to link the residences to the adjacent Old Colony Rail Trail via a wooded path. Topography, drainage and land rights are not conducive to sidewalk construction, Pennrose officials said at a June 4 zoning board of appeals hearing. 

The bike path leads to a crosswalk on Meetinghouse Road and then to a short sidewalk that Pennrose would build on the east side of the road that would connect to a sidewalk along Route 28.

 Board members and a number of residents counter that access via the bike trail would be problematic because it is not plowed in the winter or illuminated, and there could be conflicts between pedestrians and bicyclists. Legal issues may also be involved in connecting the development to the bike path.

 The zoning board is reviewing a comprehensive permit request by Pennrose for the 42-unit project, which is located on 3.75 acres of land the town purchased from the Archdiocese of Fall River. Pennrose announced last month that it has a purchase agreement on an adjacent .55-acre parcel, bringing the total land area for the project to 4.12 acres.

 Last Thursday’s hearing was the second on a new design of the development, which Pennrose attorney Andrew Singer said was the company’s preferred plan.

 While the hearing touched on a number of issues — including a neighbor’s right of way and construction quality — the matter of the sidewalk dominated the discussion.

 Currently the bike trail crosses Meetinghouse Road just south of the proposed development, where a crosswalk with a flashing warning light is located. Pennrose proposes constructing a sidewalk along the east side of Meetinghouse Road to Route 28, connecting to an existing sidewalk. 

 Connecting the development to the bike trail via a short path is the best option for pedestrians to reach Route 28, said Singer.

 “This provides, we believe, the safest, most efficient access to the sidewalk system on Route 28,” he said. “We believe it is the most economical and safest method of handling pedestrian infrastructure.”

 Traffic consultant Vanasse and Associates looked at sidewalk construction on both the east and west side of Meetinghouse Road. According to a memo from engineer Jeffrey Dirk, adding a sidewalk along either side of the roadway would require a four-foot separation from the road, curbing and a stormwater management system. Because of the topography along the west side, a sidewalk would require significant regrading, tree and vegetation removal and a retaining wall. 

 A sidewalk on the east side of the road would need less grading and tree and vegetation removal, but would require a crosswalk at the development’s entrance at a “mid-block location,” a spot not at a road intersection. That would not be ideal, Dirk wrote, especially since it would be at a location where there is a slight curve in the road.

 “Introducing a new conflict point for pedestrian/bicycles is not desirable,” he wrote. Pennrose’s plans include a sidewalk from the driveway to Meetinghouse Road for a school bus stop and “to allow for connectivity to a future sidewalk to be constructed by others,” such as the town or state, Dirk wrote. Having the development in place could provide incentive for state funding for a sidewalk, he added.

 Pennrose officials said building a sidewalk along Meetinghouse Road is outside of the scope of the development, especially given the grade and the cost it would involve. Others said the developer has a responsibility to provide safe pedestrian access to nearby existing sidewalks.

 South Chatham resident John Wright said youngsters are not likely to use the bike trail connection but will walk along Meetinghouse Road both north and south.

 “It’s a dream to think these kids are only going to want to access Route 28,” he said. Vehicles have to pull over when pedestrians or bicyclists travel along Meetinghouse Road, he added.

 “There’s nothing about this thing that makes sense. I’ll tell you right now, it’s going to lead to tragedy,” Wright said.

 Select board Chair Jeffrey Dykens said he “loved” the plan to connect to the bike trail, adding that the church sold the land to the town at a discount specifically for affordable housing, and the project is likely to add students to the town’s school system, as was the case with a recent Pennrose housing development in Orleans.

 While Pennrose will maintain the path to the bike trail, the town is responsible for the Old Colony Rail Trail, Singer said. He added that connecting to the trail would at most require a permit from the town, similar to a permit for a new driveway on a public street.

 Town Counsel Jay Talerman said he wasn’t sure about that and would have to research the history of the bike trail to determine how it was created and how it is governed. If a permit is required, it could be part of the comprehensive permit issued by the zoning board, he said.

 “I think it is important that we run down the history of it so we understand it a little better,” Talerman said of the Old Colony Rail Trail.

 Those issues need to be cleared up, said zoning board member Paul Semple. It would be unfair to require Pennrose to maintain town property, but the residents of the development will be town residents and therefore entitled to town services.

 “We’re going to need to have that resolved before we can approve your application to use that access as a primary access for pedestrians to get down to Route 137 and 28,” he said.

 Zoning board member Steve DeBoer asked Singer to consider adding lighting to the bike trail; while the path from the development would be lit, the bike trail is not.

 “Are they going to walk into a dark hole?” he asked.

 Leigh Hovey of the zoning board suggested that the path be located closer to Meetinghouse Road so that it connects to the bike trail closer to the crosswalk, which she said would be a safer access. Singer said the developers would look at that option.

 Associate member Ed Acton said given the topography issues, the Pennrose plan may be the best option. When kids are mostly likely to use the access, on weekdays during the school year, traffic along the bike path is lighter than on the weekends or in the summer, he said.

 The hearing was continued to July 16 at 1 p.m.