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Neighbors and board press Primrose on traffic, safety and reuse in Acton childcare proposal
Summary
A Primrose Schools proposal for a two‑story, 14,134 sq ft childcare center at 457 Massachusetts Avenue drew extensive questioning over traffic, pedestrian safety, the feasibility of reusing an existing historic house, ADA access and building size; the hearing was continued to June 1, 2026 to allow staff to draft a decision reflecting sidewalk, parking and landscaping conditions.
The Acton Select Board continued a readvertised public hearing on May 18 for a proposed Primrose Schools childcare center at 457 Massachusetts Avenue after residents and board members raised traffic and pedestrian‑safety concerns and requested more detailed conditions for approval.
Jonathan Silverstein, counsel for the applicant, told the board the revised plans respond to prior concerns: the play area now includes a second gate for emergency egress after consultation with the fire department, the project is shown as all‑electric (removing the need for a fossil‑fuel waiver), and the applicant added a pedestrian walkway and adjusted landscaping after meeting with a neighboring property owner.
Adam Drake of Stonefield Engineering and Design walked through engineering revisions including 13 compact parking spaces to improve circulation, added bike spaces, water‑quality pretreatment for stormwater basins and a re‑sited trash enclosure to aid pickup access. He said the peer‑reviewing engineer’s remaining comments are minor and likely resolvable as conditions of approval.
The board’s technical concerns centered on three topics: the steep site grading and shallow bedrock that the applicant says make adaptive reuse of the existing house infeasible; ADA‑compliant pedestrian access from Massachusetts Avenue; and vehicle and pedestrian conflicts at peak school drop‑off and pick‑up times near the adjacent junior high.
"The existing building’s finished floor is about 10 feet above road grade and the driveway slope is too steep to provide safe, ADA‑compliant access without significant, prohibitive site work," Drake said, explaining why reuse was not practical on this parcel.
Multiple residents warned the driveway would create new conflict points on a corridor already congested during school hours. "How are 77 vehicles supposed to safely enter and leave that driveway when traffic is routinely backed up on Massachusetts Avenue?" asked resident David Winders, who lives nearby.
Board members pressed applicants on sidewalk placement, sightlines, and driveway slope. Planning staff asked the board to decide whether to require a sidewalk along the property frontage; staff noted that a sidewalk in the preferred location would likely require Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) approval for crosswalk striping.
After public comment from neighbors and online participants, the board provided direction to staff: a majority expressed support for conditioning a sidewalk to the west of the proposed driveway (subject to MassDOT approval for a crosswalk), were willing to waive a formal parking‑proof requirement, and asked for strengthened landscaping in front of the retaining wall if mature street trees must be removed.
The board voted unanimously to continue the hearing to June 1 at 6:30 p.m. to allow planning staff time to prepare a draft decision addressing those conditions and to request any updated traffic counts or additional peer‑review material.
What’s next: The hearing resumes June 1. Staff will prepare a draft decision that will reflect the board’s direction on sidewalk requirements, parking waivers and landscaping as potential conditions of approval.
