Save Our Center…Stop Home Depot
A Message to Billerica Residents and Taxpayers:
Billerica First is a coalition of residents and taxpayers who oppose locating Home Depot in the Billerica Mall. We need your help to stop this proposal.
We all know that traffic is a problem in our neighborhood during rush hours and especially on Saturdays. Home Depot means heavy truck traffic primarily on Concord Road (a scenic road), Charnstaff Lane (a narrow street), Boston Road and Tower Farm Road.
Our zoning by-law (section 6) specifies the need for “convenience and safety of vehicular and pedestrian movement within the site … and adjacent streets.” We believe it’s time to take the by-law seriously. Can you imagine when these trucks leave the mall property and try to negotiate the Town Common back onto Concord Road? Can Charnstaff Lane accommodate both pedestrians and 18 wheel delivery trucks?
Big box stores like HD are regularly located near major highways. There is no precedent for locating this store in a town center. Moreover, the town’s Master Plan states that the “town should encourage the growth of small shops within existing retail space, rather than focusing on large users.” (Page 59) It’s time to insist that our town leaders take the Master Plan seriously.
Constructing Home Depot will create a megaplex, not a shopping center. Well planned shopping centers provide for a variety of businesses and restaurants both large and small. What we will have in Billerica will be four large stores for a total of 348,000 sf. with only 17,000 for smaller establishments. This is not a properly scaled-project.
Tewksbury, Chelmsford and Woburn all transformed their old malls into properly scaled shopping centers. Why can’t Billerica? We deserve a plan for Billerica that compliments the center retail district, generates tax revenues and enhances our town’s image.
The fate of this proposal rests with the 7 members of the Billerica Planning Board. At least 5 members must vote for this plan for it to pass. We urge you to attend the Planning Board meeting on June 12th, at Town Hall at 7:30 PM.
We are working hard to stop this proposal and need your help. We need more locations for signs. We have collected more than $8,000.00 in contributions to hire an attorney and a traffic consultant to represent us. If you would like to make a donation, send a check for Billerica First to Enterprise Bank at 223 Boston Road, North Billerica, MA 01862.
Please join us. If you would like to help, contact us at BillericaFirst@aol.com or call Bob Casey at 978-667-5308.
Sincerely,
Bob Casey and Nancy Graham,
Co-chairs, Billerica First.
