Taunton board allows Bay Street station to seek 24‑hour approval after neighbors pressed for lighting and idling fixes

TK Taunton LLC asked the Taunton Planning Board Nov. 6 to remove condition 24 of its site‑plan approval — the restriction that limits hours of operation — so the operator can pursue 24‑hour operation with the City Council. Applicant counsel Tom Reedy and company representative Dennis Darvo described the station as a highway‑adjacent facility that serves long‑haul truck traffic and second/third shifts and said continuous staffing improves on‑site safety and policing.

Neighbors who live behind the station and in nearby Norton described stronger than expected lateral light spill since trees and vegetation were cleared during construction, vehicle headlights shining into living rooms and garages because the the station grading raised the fuel‑island area above adjacent yards, and trucks that have parked and idled overnight. Commenters asked for post‑construction mitigation, verification that photometrics meet the approved plan and that the fence be placed at a higher elevation so it blocks headlights as intended.

Planning board members and staff proposed limited remedies that the applicant accepted at the hearing. The board required, as a condition of allowing the removal of the hours restriction: (1) shields on freestanding parking‑lot lights on the residential side to reduce lateral spill; (2) installation of a 7‑foot privacy fence at the flat parking‑lot elevation adjacent to the residential property to block vehicle headlights; and (3) a no‑idling rule for trucks (consistent with state rules on prolonged idling). After the board recorded those conditions the applicant may present the 24‑hour request to the City Council; the planning board noted that enforcement and final approval of 24‑hour operation sit with council and city enforcement officers.

Board members also discussed staffing and safety measures for overnight operation (the operator said there will be a minimum overnight staffing level, panic buttons and alarm systems) and asked the operator to coordinate with police and the building inspector about enforcement of idling, nuisance and lighting concerns. The board recorded the conditional allowance and required plan notes and inspection sign‑offs before the council hearing.