Planning board conditionally approves Premier Trailers site plan at 130 Sturbridge Road

CHARLTON, Mass. — The Town of Charlton Planning Board on Wednesday conditionally approved a site plan for Premier Trailers at 130 Sturbridge Road, clearing the way for grading, new stormwater controls and construction of two buildings totaling 6,545 square feet.

The board’s approval was conditional on the applicant addressing the town engineering reviewer’s remaining technical comments and obtaining routine preconstruction clearances. The motion, adopted by voice vote, accepted most items in the reviewer’s May 30 letter but left several items open for the applicant to resolve with the town engineer and other agencies before building permits are issued.

Why it matters: The project reorganizes an existing trailer-leasing operation that Premier says has operated on the site since 2018. The plan includes formalized stormwater basins, a utility connection to the municipal water line on Route 20, and a gravel yard graded for truck and trailer circulation. Board members said the plan will replace a rough, unlevel yard with defined drive aisles and environmental controls.

Board discussion and conditions The applicant explained the plan shows a 2-inch water connection to the municipal line on Route 20 and a hydrant located within the state highway layout. The site design relies on perimeter swales and two detention basins to capture sheet flow from the gravel yard. The applicant told the board it intends to use existing large concrete blocks and guardrail to protect perimeter grades and will provide access gates and split-rail fencing at the basins for maintenance.

Town engineering reviewer "Graves" provided a multi-page comment letter. The board accepted most of Graves’ recommendations as conditions of approval but left items that require further calculation or documentation open. The board specifically noted outstanding hydrology and documentation items (referenced in Graves’ list) must be resolved in the applicant’s response package prior to permit issuance. The applicant said it has prepared a separate hydraulic model to show connected basin performance and will submit it as an attachment to its responses.

Parking, screening and operations The applicant said the intensity of the site's use will not increase: staffing at the leasing office is low (three employees reported at a time) and the number of tractor-trailer movements averaged only a few per day. The plan provides 13 marked passenger-vehicle spaces adjacent to the leased-office building and a larger compacted-gravel area for trucks and trailers. The board discussed delineation between truck storage and routine parking and accepted the applicant’s approach of using gravel for truck maneuvering and asphalt for customer parking.

Along the Route 20 frontage, the applicant will install a black chain-link fence, a densely planted 20-foot buffer on the sloped area behind the fence, and other screening measures. The board noted the developed area sits roughly 100 feet back from Route 20 and about 30 feet above the highway grade, which reduces visibility from the road.

Agency coordination and remaining items The applicant reported coordination with the fire department; the board required written fire-department signoff as a precondition. The applicant also reported coordination with the Conservation Commission (an RDA/ORAD was mentioned) and with the state DOT for an access permit. The board added a standard condition that all required approvals from other boards and town departments must be obtained before building permits are issued.

Vote and motion The board moved and seconded a motion to conditionally approve the application for Premier Trailers at 130 Sturbridge Road, conditioned on satisfying the town engineer’s outstanding engineering comments (Graves’ letter of May 30) except for specified items left open for written response, plus the board’s standard planning conditions and all other agency approvals. The motion passed by voice vote; members answered "aye." The board also required a preconstruction meeting and final conditions be documented in the applicant’s response package before permits are released.

What’s next The applicant must provide formal responses and technical attachments for the outstanding engineering comments, a fire-department approval letter, and any Conservation Commission documentation required. The board and staff indicated they expect to release permits only after the town engineer has confirmed outstanding technical items have been addressed.

Quotes "We’ve been operating here since 2018," the applicant’s representative said, describing why the proposal seeks formalized grading and stormwater controls rather than a change in use.

Ending The board’s conditional approval lets the applicant proceed with the next step of preparing construction documents and agency signoffs. The applicant and staff said they will return documentation to the town engineer for final clearance before building permits are issued.