The Giancola Quarry was granted unanimous Preliminary Plan approval by the Planning Board to build 30 single family units, 15 of them to be townhouses. The quarry is a 5-acre site located on River Road between the Beltway and Seven Locks Road.
The Master Plan allowed for a maximum of 40 units on the site, and specifically noted that the entrance to the site may be problematic and that the density could be lowered if necessary. “The number of units was reduced from 40 to 30,” said Erica Leatham of Holland and Knight, attorney for the quarry.
Leatham noted that there will be no road connectivity so that motorists will not be able to use the development as a cut through from River to Seven Locks Road.
She also said that the current trucks which go in and out of the quarry will be replaced by passenger cars. “There’s just a general improvement to the area,” she said.
Nearby residents were not happy with the amount of traffic which the development will generate. Linda Guest of the nearby Riverhill development noted that 22 of the units will exit onto River Road, and will only be allowed to make a right turn.
Any vehicles leaving the development that want to access the Beltway will have to cross three lanes of traffic to get to the left turn light at Seven Locks Road and make a U-turn.
“Does it make sense to approve development without the road to support it?” said Guest. “All you need is one accident and the entire subregion becomes gridlocked.”
“We welcome development, provided the problem is solved,” said Thomas Durek, another resident of River Hill.
DUREK POINTED OUT that with this quarry, the Riverhill development, and the Stoneyhurst quarry also under discussion for development, the area is set to become a high-density strip. Riverhill has more than 100 units and the Stoneyhurst plan calls for 97.
“We should plan this road carefully because this is going to be a keystone,” Durek said.
Some members of the planing board agreed. “I have to say, it sounds as if there is a real serious issue, here,” said Derick Berlage, chair of the Planning Board.
Ron Welke of the Planning Board staff said there will be sufficient time for motorists to get across to the light at Seven Locks because of the light at the Beltway onramp. “There will be, at least, a delay when the light changes,” Wilke said.
The light at Seven Locks has a turn signal which could allow motorists to make the turn there. However, there may be a problem with the amount of space in which the turn can be made.
Wilke said that passenger cars will have ample space to make the U-turn. “We acknowledge that with a larger vehicle, that would be a problem,” he said.
The board decided that the developer must analyze the possibility of adding width to the intersection in order to facilitate turns of larger vehicles.
Any modification to the plan which would allow this will be presented to the board at Site Plan Review.