Bennington panel suggests roundabouts to alleviate traffic for proposed Walmart
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By PATRICK McARDLE STAFF WRITER - Published: April 7, 2009
BENNINGTON – The applicant proposing a new Walmart has been asked to consider a recommendation from the Bennington County Regional Commission to build either one or two roundabouts on Northside Drive as a way to mitigate an expected increase in traffic from the expansion of the store.
On Monday morning, the District 8 Act 250 commission hosted the first hearing on the request from Jonathan Levy, of Redstone Construction in Tampa, Fla., for permits to build a 112,000-square-foot store that would include a full-service supermarket.
During the hearing, Bennington County Regional Commission Executive Director Gregory "Rex" Burke said the commission was putting together a feasibility study to see if a roundabout or two would improve traffic conditions on Northside Drive.
Burke said a roundabout at the entrance to the Monument Plaza, which includes Walmart and Price Chopper, would be considered and a second roundabout, where Northside Drive becomes North Bennington Road at the intersection of Routes 67A and 7A, might be recommended as well.
A letter from the Vermont Agency of Transportation, responding to a traffic impact study submitted by Levy, noted that the regional commission had conducted studies of roundabouts on Northside Drive in the past.
"Recommendations from these studies need to be considered seriously in any revision of the traffic impact study and in any traffic recommendations to the Act 250 Commission," the letter said.
Under the proposal, Levy is proposing the addition of a second exit lane inside the plaza, a second lane for cars turning left into the plaza from Northside Drive and a new lane on the western side of Northside Drive between the plaza and the intersection of Routes 67A and 7A.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation, however, found some concerns with the proposal including the level of service between the entry to the plaza and Northside Drive and the road design that was submitted.
At Monday's meeting, the Act 250 commissioners asked Burke to keep Levy informed about the status of the regional commission's roundabout study.
The Act 250 commission hosted a previous meeting on the Walmart proposal, but the pre-hearing conference was called for the purposes of determining who would be a party to the hearings and what issues may be discussed.
At that meeting in February, members of the Vermont Natural Resources Council and the Citizens for a Greater Bennington were critical of the Walmart proposal. However, the Act 250 commission denied the group's party status last month, asking them instead to participate as "friends of the commission" who could present evidence, but not appeal the Act 250 commission's decision.
Last week, the council's attorney Jon Groveman submitted a letter to the Act 250 commission saying neither group would participate unless they received at least preliminary party status.
Groveman said an appeal would be made over party status at the end of the hearings if a permit is issued. If the appeal is granted, the hearings would have to be redone to allow the council and the citizens' group to participate.
While no date was set at the end of Monday's meeting for the next Act 250 hearing, there was discussion that it might not be until June. The applicant and the commissioners expressed hope the process would be concluded with two more meetings.
patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com
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