The Lynn Item: Peabody Stop & Shop eyes gas station addition
The store is selling this as a great way to help solidify its base of shoppers by providing services they need... and offering a discount to them as well. It will be a strictly self-service location with no repair facilities.
Of course, new gas stations require new gas tanks - a total of 40,000 gallons of fuel will be stored on the site.The store says that 52 parking spaces will be lost... but this is really NOT a worry for this location. I have NEVER been in this store when it was even close to crowded, and that includes the Holiday Rush(es). The only exception was during one late afternoon blizzard which iced over Howley Street leaving NO WAY to leave! Both directions were practically impassable until the City plows arrived (difficult due to the traffic conundrum on Lowell St).
So my feeling is this has little to do with serving the current customers of the store and all about profits for a less-than-successful location. In fact, I wonder if this was not part of the plan all along when you consider the enormous size of their parking lot.Should the City allow this? Well I wonder about the safety of underground storage tanks in flood prone areas (and no matter what this will always be a flood prone area) BUT the new modern tanks are much safer than the old ones (those are what we really need to worry about.) There are actually very few neighbors to impact here, so that shouldn't be a big problem.
However, I do see an issue or two that I would insist be addressed in the approval granting process here.
1) Stop & Shop needs to contribute both money and land to further fund and create the River Walk project which will eventually need to integrate with its property.
2) Stop & Shop needs to improve the traffic flows through the intersections with Howley Street at both Main and Walnut Streets.
I originally proposed new traffic lights to be coordinated all along Howley (see below) but WGAF made a good case against it... so I softened my proposal.
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However, I do see two issues that I would insist be addressed in the approval granting process here.
1) Stop & Shop needs to pay to install new traffic signals installed at both entrances to the Stop & Shop facility as well as at the intersection of Howley and Walnut... AND all 4 lights (Main & Howley also) need to be synchronized to work well together.
2) Stop & Shop needs to contribute both money and land to further fund and create the River Walk project which will eventually need to integrate with its property.
