SOUTH DEERFIELD — A senior project manager for the engineering firm working for the developers of a Dollar General location proposed for Routes 5 and 10 did not respond to residents’ criticisms at a public hearing Wednesday and was granted a continuance by the Deerfield Planning Board.
Austin Turner remained stone-faced and took notes as at least 15 people voiced disapproval of the plans. Planning Board Chairman John Waite told him the board decided to grant him his request for a continuance, selecting Nov. 8 for the next episode of a saga that has brought out townspeople in droves for months. This next public hearing will enable review of impact reports and analysis from experts and consultants.
Residents voiced concern over increased traffic, affected wetlands and the design of the proposed structure.
Denise Mason, a member of a grassroots group calling itself Deerfield for Responsible Development, read a letter from architect John Kuhn of Kuhn Riddle Architects in Amherst. Kuhn wrote he has worked in the Pioneer Valley for 40 years and helped develop the Yankee Candle campus in the 1990s.
“The Volvo dealership north of the site is a very contemporary building. Yet, it is a car dealership for a Swedish automobile company and it is clearly a one-of-a-kind structure designed for the site and the purpose,” Kuhn wrote. “One may not like the particular design, but it is clear that some thought, skill and effort went into its design and implementation. That is not the case with the proposed Dollar General store.”
According to Kuhn, the area to the west of the proposed site along Mill Village Road is primarily residential and is composed mostly of two-story residences with gabled roofs, clapboard siding and double hung and casement windows. He said he believes the proposed Dollar General is not in keeping with the area’s character and the benefits do not outweigh the detrimental impact to the town.
“To be blunt, I would suggest that the design of this particular Dollar General store is horrendous. It is a cookie cuttter, formulaic design pulled off the shelf for convenience and has absolutely nothing that relates it to the surrounding neighborhood, area, or region,” he wrote. “While possibly appropriate in a retail mall or strip mall setting, it would be wholly out of place in Deerfield. It is not contextual, has no redeeming design character, and will ultimately, if allowed to be built as shown, be a permanent eyesore in the community. In short, there is nothing appealing about his particular design, other than that it is probably cheap to construct for the developer.”
Daren Gray took the microphone at the Planning Board’s table to ask if any executives or direct representatives from Dollar General would ever visit Deerfield or attend a meeting pertaining to the proposed development.
After the public hearing ended, Planning Board member John Baronas said he wanted to apologize to the town for not attending a meeting in the past roughly five months. He said his job in Springfield required him to work nights during the summer and his absence was not due to lack of commitment.