HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-02-05 Planning Board Supplemental Materials (50)
January 25, 2013
Ms. Judy Tymon, Planner
North Andover Planning Board
1600 Osgood Street – Bldg. 20 Suite 2-36
North Andover, MA 01845
Re: Transportation Peer Review Comments…Response Letter #3
Proposed Dunkin’ Donuts Development
1018 Osgood Street – North Andover, MA
MHF # 306412
Dear Ms. Tymon:
Please find enclosed a revised set of plans for the above referenced project. The plans have been
revised to reflect the comments from Hancock Associates in correspondence dated January 15,
2013 as well as comments from MDM Transportation Consultants, Inc. (MDM) in
correspondence dated January 15, 2013 and January 24, 2013 and received in this office on
January16, 2013 and January 25, 2013 from your office via email. Based on the MDM
comments dated January 15, 2013, we offer the following:
COLLISION HISTORY
Due to the close proximity of the entrance driveway to 1060 Osgood Street, MDM recommends
that the Applicant modify the grading to the east of the proposed entrance driveway (within the
State Highway layout) in order to improve sight distance for vehicles exiting from 1060 Osgood
Street.
MHF Comment: The grading in the area directly to the west of the site driveway for 1060
Osgood Street has been revised according to the sketch provided by MDM.
SITE ACCESS/PEDESTRAIN ACCESS
MHF Response: A proposed 4 foot wide bituminous sidewalk has been provided to the adjacent
property to the east but up to the property line. It will be the responsibility of the adjacent
property owner to build the remaining sidewalk to the parking lot. This was discussed and
agreed to with the North Andover Planning Board.
TRUCK CIRCULATION
The Town Planner has requested comments from the Fire Department relative to this issue.
Based on the comments from MDM’s correspondence dated January 24, 2013 we offer the
following:
With respect to the drive thru queuing, MDM has chosen to apply the queuing analysis that
has resulted in the most amounts of vehicles in a queue (13 vehicles). As stated in the Response
to Comment letter prepared by Greeman Peterson, Inc. (GPI) dated January 15, 2013 the Traffic
Impact and Access Study (TIAS) prepared for the project provided data for a 13 vehicle queue.
These data were documented by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and were based
on observations conducted at 12 Starbucks coffee shops as well as 6 coffee shop locations.
Starbucks has a different and more extensive product line than found at a Dunkin Donuts,
therefore the process times are typically much longer resulting in longer drive thru queues. In
MDM’s Drive Thru Vehicle Queuing comment within their November 9, 2012 letter, MDM
states that “Based on past experience, MDM finds that drive-thru operations for Dunkin Donuts
locations are unique relative to other fast food restaurants with drive thru windows”. Based on
this comment we specifically provided an alternate queuing analysis which was conducted
based on service times for Dunkin Donuts facilities and indicated a 95 percentile queue of 10
th
vehicles.
As stated in MDM,s January 4, 2013 letter “….we recommend that the applicant collect trip
generation and vehicle queuing data from the existing facility (982 Osgood Street) as we believe
that this is the best data available for estimating peak hour operations at the proposed store.
Specifically trip generation and peak hour drive thru queue lengths are critical components to
their site operations with potential impact on the accessibility to the limited supply of parking
spaces proposed.” Based on this comment, we counted the existing facility located at 982
Osgood Street to collect trip-generation data and drive thru window vehicle queues. The
existing observations revealed that the Dunkin Donuts restaurant generated less vehicle trips
than what were previously evaluated. In addition, the existing drive thru lane observations
showed a maximum of 11 vehicles occurring during the weekday AM peak hour, which would
impact the parking minimally for a very short period of time. The reviewer has chosen to
disregard the data that was specifically requested to be collected at the nearby facility that
shows fewer vehicles in the drive thru queue, and now wants to impose the maximum queuing
on the site that was originally presented in the TIAS. It is uncertain as to why the reviewer
rejected the additional data that they requested at the existing Dunkin Donuts restaurant (982
Osgood Street) that resulted in additional time and expense if this information was believed to
provide the most applicable comparison to the operations at the proposed restaurant.
We believe that the expected queuing for the drive thru will be accommodated on-site and will
cause minimal , if any disruption to the on-site parking.
ON-SITE PARKING
With respect to the proposed parking spaces, MDM requested that we count the parking
operations at a free-standing Dunkin’ Donuts facility. Based on this request, we observed that
the maximum occupied spaces to be 17 spaces at 450 Broadway in Methuen, Massachusetts.
After receiving this information, the reviewer has commented (January 4, 2013 letter) that the
proposed 19 parking spaces may be inadequate. Based on this comment, we counted the
existing facility located at 982 Osgood Street and observed the maximum occupied spaces to be
12 spaces. The Parking Demand Studies conducted at the two existing facilities provided
occupied spaces less than the 19 spaces being provided at the proposed site. Based on the
information provided, the data suggest that the peak-parking demand can be accommodated on
the site. Parking spaces that were provided in the last response letter for other sites were
merely provided as information showing that other similar sites have spaces equal to or less
than those provided on the proposed site. No actual parking counts were done for these other
sites.
Sincerely yours,
MHF DESIGN CONSULTANTS, INC.
Mark S. Gross. P.E.
Principal
Cc: Mr. Dan Mills, MDM Transportation Consultants, Inc.
Mr. Greg Nolan, Cafua Management Company, Inc.
Mr. Joseph D. Peznola, P.E. Hancock Associates