Overnight Deliveries Considered on Pugsley Road

By Holly Crocco

A public hearing is scheduled June 8 before the Southeast Planning Board regarding an application by Brewster Industrial LLC to allow overnight truck deliveries for Lincoln Logistics on Pugsley Road.

Dan Richmond of the law firm Zarin & Steinmetz explained during the April 27 planning board meeting that currently, no deliveries are allowed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. weekends, and 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. weekdays. On Sundays and federal holidays, deliveries may not start until 10 a.m.

“It’s rendering the lease of the large warehouse building on the site infeasible for its intended purpose,” said Richmond, noting that 30 prospects over the last 20 months have been engaged and found that restriction on hours of operation and prohibition on overnight delivery a “decisive dealbreaker.”

He said that any outside truck traffic would comply with the town’s noise limitations at all hours.

Board Chairman Thomas LaPerch thanked the applicant for working with the town to address residents’ concerns.

“I think that what you did up there looks great,” he said. “You did everything you promised, and I know you have a challenge right now finding a tenant based on the hours. But from a town standpoint, we thank you for doing everything you were supposed to do – from a building standpoint.”

Board member Lynne Eckardt said she’s still cautious about allowing overnight truck deliveries.

“This was a very contentious project and the one thing we could offer was the 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. ban,” she said. “My concern here is once – or if – this is passed, then Lesser Evil will want the same, other parts of town will want the same… We can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.”

Eckardt said that if the ban is lifted and neighbors end up complaining about noise or traffic, “there’s no enforcement for this. It’s done.”

Board member David Rush commented on the allowable 50 to 55 decibels of noise, saying, “If you said to somebody 50 is OK but 55 is not, it’s very hard to convince somebody who’s being annoyed” that the business is operating within reason.