The Country Village Shoppes are a frequent topic of conversation around town. They are rundown, mostly empty, and, according to Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) Chair Dave Palmberg’s calculations, roughly $26,000 in debt to the town of Stafford over blight fees. However, two out of those three problems could soon be a thing of the past.
Kenneth Hrica, an engineer and licensed surveyor representing Dunbeath LLC, was at the November 13, 2023, PZC meeting to present the site plan application for a total overhaul of the property at 30 West Stafford Road. After presenting the plans to the Inland Wetland Commission in September, the proposal has now moved onto the PZC.
Hrica told the commission that his client has not had luck renting out the property — though anyone familiar with the condition of the buildings and parking lots will know that most of them are in no condition to be rented.
In any case, Dunbeath LLC wants to turn most of the existing site into self-storage. Buildings 36 (at the back of the property) and 34 (where Hang’s Asian Bistro currently is) would be converted. However, building 32 (the house-like building toward the front of the property) would be demolished, and a new 18,000+ square foot, three-story storage building would be built in its place. The proposal also includes outdoor RV and boat storage. Building 30, where Kolossos Restaurant used to be, would be renovated but remain a restaurant space.
The number of entrances to the property would be closed up and consolidated, and according to Hrica more than 4,500 square feet of new pervious surface would be added back to the site, eliminating a good deal of hardscape. The site has many drainage problems, some of which were addressed at the Inland Wetlands Commission, but a more landscaped, pervious surface generally means less runoff.
Additionally, Dunbeath is looking to conduct a lot line revision to turn the old Kolossos building into its own lot, meaning the current owner could sell it while continuing to own and operate the new self-storage facility. There would be shared parking between the building, requiring an easement.
Once the other commissioners had a chance to ask their questions, Palmberg was ready with a list of questions and concerns that revealed the plan was not quite ready for primetime. Though the $26,000 in blight fines have no bearing on the application before the PZC, Palmberg wanted the issue on the record. Later, he also said that before the meeting, he was informed the property owner was not current on his property taxes and regularly paid about six months late. No building permits can be issued until the taxes are up to date.
The issues Palmberg raised with the current proposal are too numerous to list fully here, but range from encroachment on property lines and places where the buildings do not meet setback requirements to sodium vapor lamps from the 1970s that will need to be removed. Current regulations require that after every ten parking spaces, an island is required, and that the state now requires that any parking area with more than 30 spaces put in the infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations for 10% of the spaces (though they do not necessarily need to put the charging stations in at this time).
Palmberg asked that Hrica and Dunbeath check with the DOT about sight line issues that may be a problem from the easternmost driveway and any changes that may be needed to the traffic signals on Route 190. He also said that a sidewalk would need to be included in the plan as the commission has been requiring them in all new construction. He asked for four-foot sump pumps in the new catch basins to help with water quality issues and a hood to be placed on the last one to keep potentially hazardous materials out of the drainage pond at the back of the property.
Given the property owner’s track record in town, Palmberg and members of the audience were concerned about the operations and maintenance plan. Palmberg asked that those plans be submitted to the commission and told concerned citizens that a failure to maintain the property would violate those plans. Enforcing any repercussions would be tough, though, as Commissioner Ron Houle pointed out, the property owner would have a much bigger financial incentive to maintain the property now.
Perhaps most problematic of all were the architectural plans. Palmberg said the plans do not currently come close to meeting the town’s guidelines. For instance, the town’s regulations say that no uninterrupted facades shall exceed 100 feet, that the appearance of a flat roof should be avoided, and that the PZC prefers to see a variation in materials. He pointed to Aubuchon’s conversion of an old metal building as a good example, saying that they use false windows and barn doors to improve the appearance of the building.
In the end, given these concerns — and many others — the commission voted unanimously to table the issue until the December 21 meeting. This will give Hrica and the project architects time to address some of the commission's concerns. Overall, the commission was happy to see a plan for the site.
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