Board members voted 7-2 in favor, allowing the project to go forward without a customer exit onto the Connector Road between Brimbal Avenue and Sohier Road, following the close of a public hearing that began in December. Catherine Barrett and Edwin Barrett III cast the two dissenting votes.

While the board originally voted to approve the project last March, the state Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the portion of Sohier Road near the Route 128/Exit 19 interchange and the Connector road, struck down the proposed connector road exit.

This constituted a major change to the project's Traffic design and the need for a new public hearing for the project's special permit and site plan review.

All other points of access — entrances and exits from both Brimbal Avenue and Sohier Road, the entrance from the connector road, plus an additional left-hand turn into the plaza off Brimbal from the Montserrat neighborhood — are all allowed.

"I think it's time we move the project forward," said board member David Mack prior to the vote, adding that "we can only rely on the experts" on their traffic flow analysis.

People who live in the neighborhoods near the plaza shouldn't be concerned about property values dropping, board member James Matz said. 

Much of the discussion, both by the Planning Board and some public comment came down to concerns over how traffic will be affected on Sohier Road without that connector road exit from the plaza.

Only Sohier is affected by the lack of that exit point, according to Ron Mueller, the developer's traffic engineer for the project. He said, however, the traffic would "remain at acceptable levels," but acknowledged queuing time for motorists trying to leave the plaza would increase.

Read the entire Salem News article here.