Chicopee committee recommends rezoning 7.5 acres on Burnett Road to industrial

A Chicopee City Council committee voted 4-0 Wednesday to recommend rezoning roughly 7.5 acres at 0 Burnett Road from Residential A to industrial to allow the expansion of employee parking for UFP Technologies.

The vote clears the way for the proposal to be considered by the full Chicopee City Council at its next meeting on April 1. The applicant is listed in the file as UFPTMA LLC; the property owner is listed as Dow Jones and Company.

John Furman, office manager for VHB in Springfield, appearing for the applicant, said the rezoning would remove a “remnant” area of residential zoning that lies under existing Eversource power-line easements and allow the company to repurpose an existing paved area as a parking lot. “Our choices were to rezone or to ask for a special permit, and rezoning made sense so that we just kinda clean up this remnant area,” Furman said.

A planning-board recommendation included in the committee file says the Chicopee Planning Board held a public hearing Feb. 6 and voted 4-0 to recommend the zone change. Committee members said they had reached out to Eversource and that the utility “did not see an issue” with the concept plan, subject to the utility’s normal permitting and review process.

Councilor Labrie said the city had consulted Eversource and that the company indicated it did not object to proceeding through the proper permitting steps. Councilor Shumski said he had no concerns and noted most of the land under the power lines could not be developed for other uses. “I have no concerns at this time,” Councilor Shumski said.

Committee members and the applicant described the rezoning as a cleanup of split zoning on the larger parcel; meeting discussion said the total parcel is about 19 acres and the area proposed for rezoning is about 7.5 acres. Furman said the company’s employees currently park on available street space along Burnett Road and that the proposal would reorganize existing access rather than add new curb cuts.

No members of the public spoke on the item during the committee’s public-input period, according to the record. Committee members said further permitting steps remain, including formal approvals from Eversource and any city permits required to convert the area to a dedicated parking lot.

Votes at a glance - Zone change: Motion to recommend rezoning from Residential A to industrial for approximately 7.5 acres at 0 Burnett Road — Committee vote: 4 yes, 0 no; outcome: recommended to City Council (scheduled for April 1 vote). - Approval of minutes (03/03/2025): Committee vote: unanimous (recorded yes votes); outcome: approved. - Motion to adjourn: Committee vote: unanimous (recorded yes votes); outcome: approved.

The committee packet lists the applicant as UFPTMA LLC of Newburyport and the owner as Dow Jones and Company. The Planning Board held its public hearing on Feb. 6 and recommended approval by a 4-0 vote. The committee’s recommendation does not itself change zoning; the rezoning must be approved at a future City Council meeting to take effect.