Westborough planning board orders traffic peer review for proposed Starbucks at 210 Turnpike Road

The Westborough Planning Board voted to require a traffic peer review and continued the public hearing on a proposed 2,400-square-foot drive-through coffee shop at 210 Turnpike Road until Dec. 3, 2024.

Engineer Sam Malafronte of Soley Engineering, representing the owner (John Nichols, trustee of 6 Humphrey Street Realty Trust), presented plans showing a 2,400 ft² coffee shop with a drive-through, 65 seats (45 interior, 20 exterior), 80 proposed parking spaces and 14 on-site drive-through queue spaces. The application package included a traffic analysis that assumed a 75% pass-by ratio and estimated 206 vehicle trips in the AM peak hour, with about 51 net new trips to the roadway network.

Board members and residents questioned the study's methodology and scope. Members asked why the report used a 50/50 split for vehicles entering from Park Street versus Route 9, whether pass-by trips would instead turn into new turning movements onto Park Street, and whether the analysis omitted nearby intersections such as Park & Milk Street. The applicant said Synchro software and MassDOT count data were used and that the study modeled a 30-foot single-unit box truck for deliveries; the select board had suggested limiting deliveries larger than the town's 47-foot ladder truck to outside business hours.

A large group of residents urged the board to require more detailed review. Speakers from Walker Meadow and neighboring streets cited high speeds on Route 9, limited sight distance at the Park Street exit, school-bus routing, and a potential for queues to back up onto Park Street and Milk Street. Wayne Webster (Walker Meadow homeowners association) and several neighbors told the board they feared increased crashes and daily congestion if the drive-through operated as proposed.

After hearing testimony and discussing mitigation measures proposed by the applicant (striping to create 'do-not-block' zones, added sidewalks/crosswalks, revising driveway width, signage and possible delivery-hour restrictions), the board voted to require a traffic peer review. Board members asked the peer reviewer to evaluate the applicant's methodology, add intersections the original study did not assess if warranted (including Park & Milk Street), and address queuing and delivery-vehicle impacts. The peer review will be at the applicant's expense and will be used to inform revisions when the hearing resumes.

The Planning Board continued the hearing to Dec. 3, 2024 and requested the applicant coordinate substantive plan revisions with staff ahead of that session. The board also asked staff to include public letters and meeting minutes in the record for the continuation.