Chicopee council approves Pilot travel center license after lengthy public debate over traffic and safety

The Chicopee City Council approved two related licenses for a service station and fuel storage at 357 Burnett Road on Dec. 17, granting the applicant restrictions and directing compliance with state and local fire and safety rules. The council’s roll call on both items recorded 10 votes in favor and 3 opposed.

The proposal prompted several hours of public input from neighbors, civic groups and business representatives. Opponents—largely residents of Burnett Road—cited traffic, safety and emergency-response concerns, pointing to crash data and a traffic study they said showed large increases in vehicle and truck trips. One caller cited the study’s findings that the project could add hundreds of tractor-trailer trips per day. "The traffic study itself admits that it makes that problem worse," a resident said during public comment, urging the council to deny the license.

Supporters included business and trucking-industry representatives who argued the center would provide needed truck parking, jobs and tax revenue. Thomas Murphy, representing the petitioner, said "Pilot is not a truck stop. It's a gas station," and argued design features — including truck fueling at the rear and a direct connection to the pike — limit spillover onto Burnett Road. The Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association sent a letter backing the proposal, emphasizing truck parking shortages.

Council debate reflected the split in public opinion and the history of the site. Several councilors said they had received intense constituent outreach from both sides; one councilor said his ward had overwhelmingly opposed the project and planned to vote accordingly. Another councilor said the city must show it is open to business in order to grow the tax base. A motion to send the items back to the license subcommittee for an additional public hearing failed; the council then considered the items on the floor.

The license committee had returned a split recommendation; council discussion noted that most city department heads supported the proposal subject to state and local safety compliance and that the Chicopee Fire Department deferred to the State Fire Marshal on tank storage specifics. The council’s approval incorporated the committee’s restrictions and the expectation that the applicant meet all state and local permitting and safety requirements.

The council did not take additional votes to amend storage limits or taxation estimates on the floor; councilors discussed estimated annual tax revenues in the range of several hundred thousand dollars but emphasized that those figures depended on final assessment and personal-property calculations.

The council said next steps will include the applicant satisfying any state fire marshal and MassDOT conditions and adhering to the restrictions read into the record. No additional council action on these licenses was scheduled at the meeting.