Residents in the Western Massachusetts community of East Longmeadow don’t want to take the Lowe’s road. A citizen’s group called East Longmeadow First has formed to fight off a 147,054 s.f. Lowe’s home improvement store that would be bordered on two sides by residential property. The developer, Edens & Avant, a South Carolina company, plans to use 32 acres of land to generate 5,000 new car trips down already congested North Main Street. The project also will pave over 12.5 acres of land, including 8.5 acres of an existing wetlands, which will become a parking lot instead. The land is zoned industrial, and could be used for higher paying jobs. The Massachusetts Office of Environmental Affairs has handed the developer a 9 page scope of work that has to be performed as part of the state review process. The developer will have to analyze alternatives to the project, including other available sites in the area, conduct an archeological study required by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, explain its impact on a freshwater marsh near the site and impacts on the Riverfront area, develop a hazardous materials plan, and produce other studies on sustainable design, air quality and stormwater runoff. East Longmeadow First says the town has the right to deny the site plan review for the project, and warns that the use is far too intense to border on residential property. Lawnsigns saying “Don’t take the Lowe’s road” are starting to show up on lawns across the city. Other than filing with the state, the developer has not yet filed any plans with the town, but already a citizens group is organized and prepared to fight the big box project every step of the way.
For local contacts in East Longmeadow, contact [email protected]. For similar stories, search Newsflash by “Lowe’s”.
