By Adam Swift Following a lengthy public hearing last week, the planning board approved the major site plan review for the proposed Boston Provisions facility at the former Signature Bread site at 100 Justin Drive. In addition, the planning board recommended that the zoning board of appeals approve two special permit requests for the facility at the ZBA’s next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The special permits would allow Boston Provisions to establish a seafood processing and distribution facility in the Industrial District and extend the use into the adjoining lot in the Naval Hospital Commercial District. As has been the case during prior public hearings over the spring and summer on the food distribution center, dozens of residents, many from the Admirals Hill area, spoke in opposition to the project. The existing facility at Justin Drive is approximately 264,000 square feet, and Boston Provisions will be leasing about 80,000 square feet of that space on the second floor of the west side closest to the marina. With the owner of the building, Boston Provisions CEO Mike Moniz has said Boston Provisions plans to invest $15 million in the interior of the building to create a modern, clean, and efficient food distribution facility. Boston Provisions representatives have stated that the fish processing part of the facility would only encompass about 7,500 square feet of the 80,000 square feet they plan to use. At last week’s planning board meeting, the Boston Provisions representatives fielded questions from board members about the traffic flow into and out of the site, the size of the trucks that will be used for deliveries, landscaping, and drainage plans. During a public speaking portion of the hearing that stretched for several hours, residents raised a list of concerns that included traffic, noise, potential odors from the facility, the impact on the infrastructure and quality of life for neighbors, the potential for additional fish and food processing businesses leasing the Justin Drive site, the impact on the nearby Leonard Florence Center for Living as well as nearby schools and parks, and the lack of notice to neighbors about the project and city hearings among other issues. In addition, William Cecio read the names of residents who submitted letters in opposition to the project, including 23 residents of the Leonard Florence Center for Living on Captains Row. “I just would like to begin this evening by taking a very quick trip over the last eight-plus months from our neighbors’ point of view to review how we got there, and this is our interpretation of it, so there maybe something here or there that is not exactly as it happened,” said Commandants Way resident Suzanne Perry. “Boston Provisions was looking for a place to combine Wulf’s Seafood and Savanor’s Butchery under one umbrella, and instead of going to the city manager and requesting use of a property already zoned for this business … they collaborated with Westbrook Partners (the owner of 100 Justin Drive) in presenting a plan to the city to occupy 100 Justin Drive, an area not zoned for this business and abutting a densely residential neighborhood.” During the preparation process to amend the zoning, Perry said no letters were sent to abutters, including those who live in a 150-unit apartment building that shares a driveway with the property and the nearby senior living center. Perry said many neighbors initially heard about the project in the newspaper when there was an article about the city council allowing fish processing in the district by special permit. “Neighbors were immediately concerned because we heard right away that this is because Chelsea needs jobs, this is what we heard, and that’s great,” said Perry. “But if bringing jobs to Chelsea is the main driver, why are they are not doing it in an area already zoned for this type of business?” One resident noted that there are at least two nearby locations that are properly zoned for the business and not as close to a dense residential area, but Moniz stated that those locations would not best meet the needs of the business. “Let me say very clearly, because I’ve heard things too, you’ve heard things, we’ve all heard things; that Boston Provisions does not belong on Broadway or in Prattville or in our neighborhood or in any other neighborhood in Chelsea,” Perry said. “It belongs in an industrial area already zoned for it and ready to receive this business. Then we wouldn’t be going through all this, it would be easy, it would be done.” If the project is approved, Perry noted that it will only take up about a quarter of the building on Justin Drive. “However, parking will be increased according to their plan from 277 spaces to 440 spaces,” said Perry. “Lights, excessive traffic, noise, opening and closing of many bays set to face Axis Apartments, the offloading and loading of increasing numbers of trucks over time, and those trucks turning onto Commandants Way is not a safe proposition for our school children.” Eventually, Perry said the remainder of the building will likely be filled by other meat and fish processing facilities instead of less intrusive businesses. Former City Council President Roy Avellaneda also spoke out in opposition to the planning board making a favorable recommendation on the project. “I spent the better part of my adult life being active in this community; city councilor, planning board member, license board member – and in that role I worked with colleagues, stakeholders, residents,” he said. “A lot of that time I had spent fixing some of the problems that existed in this community, and many of those times, it was problems and issues from existing land use conflict.” Avellaneda pointed to the Box District as an area that was full of industrial uses that was rezoned so residents living there no longer had to deal with heavy truck traffic, as well as several other instances where bad zoning adversely affected residents. “I have to ask why would you knowingly – despite all the assurances that this is not going to be a conflict of this particular use next to a neighborhood – why would you do that to us?” he asked. “It makes no sense. I don’t understand the concept of relocating the fish pier in Boston to here in Chelsea, because that is what this proposal is supposed to be doing.” If Chelsea does want to recreate the fish pier in the city, Avellaneda said it should create a 500-foot buffer zone between the businesses and residential districts. “You do it for marijuana, we do it for liquor stores, why won’t you say you can have this anywhere where there is not a resident and the inherent conflicts that will exist,” he said. “We once had a chicken processing plant at the corner of Williams and Spruce; does anyone not remember the stink and smell? And you are going to think that that is not going to happen again? That’s the use that we want next to 150 apartments and next to an assisted living facility; that makes no sense to me.” The planning board voted 6-2 in favor of the major site plan review as well as the special permit recommendations. Several board members noted that the city could have greater oversight over the Boston Provisions thanks to the special permit process as opposed to other food processing businesses that could be allowed by right. “One of the things that stands out to me about this plan, that appeals to me about this tenant is that there is an opportunity for us to get a tenant in there and really hold them accountable to the types of operations that they’re having and to have some real leverage on their operations to keep them clean and accountable,” said planning board member Nick Valentine. “My concern is that if a larger tenant were to come in that is just outside of these limitations that we have today that many of the same things that have been very thoroughly voiced here by the community might come to pass anyway without ever an opportunity for any of this to be discussed. I’m quite supportive of this because this gives us an opportunity to have a relationship directly with the operator to make sure that this is run in the way that they say they are going to run it as opposed to taking it on faith that another operator may or may not choose to be as cooperative.” Planning Board member Eric Czernizer also recommended that the special permits have an expiration date of 2055 so that there was an opportunity for longer-term development of the site in the future.