Recap of May 25, 2022 Neighborhood Meeting at UGPG

Dear Members of the Public,

Thank you for attending the neighborhood meeting we hosted at Unified’s Sutton headquarters a few weeks back. We appreciate the opportunity we had to meet our neighbors, to share more details about our upcoming project with you all, and to answer your questions and hear your comments. It was very helpful for us and our project team to listen to all the feedback we received, and we anticipate there will be continued engagement with the public as we look ahead to the next phases of this important and beneficial project for the Town.

We’ve taken some time to gather your questions and provide our responses below. We will continue to use this website to provide important project updates and answer questions that the public may have.

Thank you,

Art Mahassel
President, Unified Global Packaging Group

Will the Buttonwood to Boston Road weight limits be kept in place?
- Use restrictions on a public right-of-way are established by the Town. It is our understanding that Buttonwood Avenue has a 5-ton weight limit already in place.
Will Boston Road be repaved?
- As part of the intersection improvements for the Unified Parkway and Boston Road intersection, the limits of those improvements will likely include paving the portions of Boston Road impacted by such improvements.
Dudley Road traffic flow concerns (to Pleasant Valley Road & Dudley Road)
- The traffic study that has been prepared and submitted has looked at this intersection and concluded that the traffic generated by Buildings 2 and 3 will have minimal impacts on this intersection during the peak hours of traffic flow.
  
  As has been stated at the public hearings and at the neighborhood meeting, when we are prepared to present the Tenant 1 opportunity and file for Site Plan Review and Special Permits with the Planning Board, an updated traffic study will be presented as part of the permit filing that addresses not only Tenant 1 related traffic, but also the traffic generated from Buildings 2 and 3.
Where is the aquifer and which way does it flow?
- The Zone II Wellhead Protection Zone is shown the existing conditions plan with the yellow line. Generally speaking, the aquifer flow is easterly, towards the Blackstone River. The Zone II Wellhead Protection Zone confirms this as evidenced by its shape surrounding the well; the larger area of Zone II is located west of the well (i.e., the “drawdown” area for the well).
Will Chemicals from the buildings get into the water supply?
- No. Buildings 2 and 3 are proposed to include warehouse with distribution type uses, not manufacturing uses. Furthermore, the building plumbing is all connected to the sewer system or tight tanks and will not be discharged into the stormwater system, where it could infiltrate into the ground.
What type of testing is Unified doing for the water?
- The Wilkinsonville Water District is responsible for testing the ground water. Specific questions as to water testing should be directed to their attention.
What is the location of the ground monitors?
- Through the Site Plan Review process, Unified has agreed to install groundwater monitoring wells adjacent to the Zone I Wellhead Protection Zone near the stormwater management basins at four locations specified by the Wilkinsonville Water District. The wells will be monitored by the Wilkinsonville Water District not Unified, however, Unified has agreed to pay for the cost of the ground water monitoring.
Is Unified following water quality regulations?
- Yes, the Unified consulting team is designing all improvements to meet federal, state and local regulations, and the design is being peer reviewed by the Town’s consultants.
What is going to be in Buildings 2 & 3? Is it just racking?
- Yes, the majority of each building will be racking for warehouse storage. To support the operations, there will be small ancillary office space as well as other customary supporting spaces (e.g., bathrooms, closets, etc.).
Will there be any more industrial buildings besides Buildings 1, 2, & 3 on Unified’s land?
- At this time, only Buildings 1, 2 and 3 are proposed. If for some reason Tenant 1 were not to come to fruition, then there always remains the possibility that the lot designated for Building 1 could be reconfigured and/or subdivided to accommodate different tenant needs.
Why did you “max out” the lot / ask for height permits? What height are the buildings expected to be?
- Despite the size of the overall parcel, approximately 440 acres, the portion of the Property that is both within the Office Light Industrial Zoning District and not encumbered by wetlands, powerlines or other obstructions is far smaller. We have tried to strike the right balance between building size, traffic circulation and parking and the existing topography.
  
  The Sutton Zoning Bylaw allows for building heights up to 70-feet by special permit. Buildings 2 and 3 are proposed to be 45-feet tall. Due to advances in racking systems and fork trucks inside each building, it is far more efficient to increase the vertical height rather than expand the horizonal footprint of each building.
Do you plan to utilize the rail system?
- At this time there are no plans to utilize the rail line adjacent to the site.
Are there plans for the residential part of the land? How many acres of the lot are residential?
- Unified is focused on developing Buildings 1, 2 and 3. The Town has expressed an interest in increasing housing within Sutton and had asked if we would be willing to consider adding housing to our overall development plans. While not our primary focus at this time, we advised the Town that after we get the three main buildings constructed and open, if the Town still feels housing is needed, we could consider any options they feel make sense.
Is there potential access to Dudley road from the industrial part of the land?
- Primary access to the site will be via Boston Road to Unified Parkway. There is the possibility of connecting Unified Parkway to Dudley Road, however, it is not something that we are considering at this time.
Will there be truck traffic into Millbury?
- Unified has committed to the Town of Millbury that we will not promote or actively allow truck traffic to be directed through the Town of Millbury via Route 122A.
Will the current Unified2 Providence Road buildings remain (38 & 68)?
- Yes. There are no plans currently to sell those two parcels.
How many employees will staff Building 3? Will Unified transfer from 223 Worcester Providence Road? Will Unified backfill the 223 employees that transfer?
- Building 3 will have approximately 35 employees per shift and will be comprised of a combination of existing and new hires to the Unified team. Positions that are reassigned from an existing Unified facility to Building 3 will be backfilled as business needs dictate.
How many shifts will run at the new building?
- It is expected that Buildings 2 and 3 will each operate 24/7 with three shifts however, the majority of the employees and activity will be during the first shift. Second and third shifts are if needed due to business demand.
How many truck trips per day? Are they all Unified2 trucks?
- As presented in the Traffic Impact Assessment submitted with our permitting application and supplemental materials, Buildings 2 and 3 will have an average daily traffic of approximately 1,400 vehicles (cars and trucks). This number is based on the ITE Land Use Codes and is a national calibrated estimate based on other similar types of facilities. Unified is expecting to generate approximately 245 truck trips per day, with the vast majority of those trips occurring between 9 AM and 5 PM.
  
  The majority of the trucks will be Unified trucks, but as we discussed at the neighborhood meeting, we also have common carriers that work with Unified, and they will be among the trucks arriving and departing the site.
Is the lighting plan being evaluated for the owls?
- The proposed sign lighting has been designed to taking into account and eliminate where possible, the outward glare that can be generated from site lighting.
Concerns about if there was a fire in the building.
- All of the Buildings will be signed to meet the State Building code for fire protection and suppression. Unified has hired engineers to design the fire sprinkler service to the site that takes into account all three buildings. In addition, Unified has proposed to install over a mile of new water main along Unified Parkway to not only improve service to the site, but also provide better service and redundancy to the existing water distribution system within Sutton, including a new connection to the Wilkinsonville Water District’s well.
Did we receive the SaveOurSutton petition?
Yes, we received the petition and have considered your requests in the response below.
- Quarterly testing of private water wells for duration of project
  - As outlined in the FAQ section of this website, the blasting is located more than 700-feet away from the nearest structure and is above the elevation of the average depth of a typical bedrock well located in the Heritage Road neighborhood. Furthermore, any runoff is being directed away from the Zone II Wellhead Protection area. The Project Engineers, as well as the Wilkinsonville Water District consultants agree that that the likelihood of any contamination resulting from the blasting is extremely low.
- Setting up a fund for replacing pump systems
  - If a neighbor feels their well has been impacted and damaged by the blasting operations, they are advised to follow the process outlined on the website to file a claim with the Sutton Fire Department.
- Radon testing in homes
  - As outlined in the FAQ section of this website, the blasting is located more than 700-feet away from the nearest structure. The Project Geologist and Engineers have reviewed the likelihood of impacts from the blasting, including gases such as radon, and determined that the probability of any change from the current conditions is extremely low.
- Expand traffic study to cover secondary roadways
  - The traffic study for Buildings 2 and 3 has been prepared in accordance with applicable traffic impact study guidelines. The scope as well as the findings of the study are being peer reviewed by an independent professional engineer, and the review comments are being addressed with additional information and clarifications as necessary.
- Noise barriers/sound walls
  - As part of the Site Plan Review process, Unified has submitted a sound study for Buildings 2 and 3. The study was performed by Tech Environmental. They collected baseline ambient sound data to establish their model. Then they included the known conditions for proposed Buildings 2 and 3 (i.e., location, HVAC, fans, traffic flows and volumes, loading dock locations, etc.). That information was loaded into their 3D model, and they have determined that the noise impacts associated with Buildings 2 and 3 are within the allowable limits established by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for sound impacts. Therefore, mitigation measures, such as sound barriers, are not needed. The memo was updated to include both the baseline sound monitoring locations as well as the round receptor locations used in the model. Those figures were appended to the memo and resubmitted to the Planning Board, and is publicly available for review. When the Building 1 design and Site Plan Approval process is initiated, an updated sound study will be submitted and will include sound generated from the entire development.
- Use a blasting mat to suppress dust.
  - Our blasting contractor has advised us that blast mats are primarily meant to shield rock and debris that may become airborne during the blast. With the site conditions we are dealing with, blast mats will not provide meaningful dust control resulting from the actual blast. The site contractor has taken many steps to curtail as much dust as possible, including running three 5,000 gallon water trucks non-stop each day as well as recently installing two dust suppression cannons in the high activity areas of the site.
Concerns about private wells & septic systems around Heritage Road.
- We understand the concerns expressed by some of the abutters regarding their private wells and septic systems as it relates to the blasting activities. Our blasting contractor will continue to monitor the seismic data following each blast and ensure they remain well below the state and industry standards of acceptable vibration.
  
  As was discussed at the neighborhood meeting, the vibration impacts of a blast are based on decades of data and science developed by federal and state agencies, and we will use all best management practices where possible as we prepare the site. We also know it’s not an exact science, and sometimes despite our best efforts, legitimate impacts may occur. If you feel they have a legitimate impact from the blasting, then we recommend you follow the process and file a claim as outlined in the FAQ section of this website. The Sutton Fire Department and the Blasting Contractor take these claims very seriously and they will follow up on all claims that are timely filed.
Are there monitoring wells on the Worcester Sand & Gravel lot?
- There are some historical monitoring wells on the former Worcester Sand & Gravel parcel, but many of them are shallow wells that were used to measure ground water elevation. As noted above, the Wilkinsonville Water District will be overseeing the installation of four monitoring wells around the Zone I Wellhead Protection Zone and will be monitoring them as part of their annual operation.
Are we considering adjusting the blast sizes?
- Yes, and we already have. Our blasting contractor reviews the seismic data following each blast to ensure they are below the state mandated thresholds and adjusts the blast hole pattern and/or explosives used to ensure we cause as little disruption as possible to abutters. This practice will continue throughout the remainder of the blasting operations.
Could we use a mat to reduce the dust?
- Our blasting contractor has advised us that blast mats are primarily meant to shield rock and debris that may become airborne during the blast. With the site conditions we are dealing with, blast mats will not provide meaningful dust control resulting from the actual blast. The site contractor has taken many steps to curtail as much dust as possible, including running three 5,000 gallon water trucks non-stop each day as well as recently installing two dust suppression cannons in the high activity areas of the site.
Will there be blasting after July?
- The first phase of the blasting has been slower than expected and we expect the blasting to extend into July of this year.
Will the old fish hatchery property be disturbed?
- No. The vast majority of this property is jurisdictional wetlands and abutting resource areas. We have received approval of a Notice of Intent from the Sutton Conservation Commission for certain mitigation, clean-up and planting work we will be performing on the old fish hatchery site as well as work within previously disturbed areas along Hatchery Drive.
Would Woodbury Pond be disturbed?
- No, none of the improvements planned at this time will cause any impact to Woodbury Pond.
Where would the athletic fields go?
- The athletic fields have only been discussed at a very conceptual level with Town of Sutton officials. One location that was identified for the facilities was the far northwest corner of the site, where there is a decently level area. No final determination of a location has been made at this time.
Who is the blasting company?
- The blasting contractor is Construction Drill & Blasting out of Franklin, Massachusetts.
What are we doing for noise data collection? Can we put up sound barriers? Can we amend the memo for the baseline sound monitoring to list the addresses?
- As part of the Site Plan Review process, Unified has submitted a sound study for Buildings 2 and 3. The study was performed by Tech Environmental. They collected baseline ambient sound data to establish their model. Then they included the known conditions for proposed Buildings 2 and 3 (i.e., location, HVAC, fans, traffic flows and volumes, loading dock locations, etc.). That information was loaded into their 3D model, and they have determined that the noise impacts associated with Buildings 2 and 3 are within the allowable limits established by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for sound impacts. Therefore, mitigation measures, such as sound barriers, are not needed. The memo was updated to include both the baseline sound monitoring locations as well as the round receptor locations used in the model. Those figures were appended to the memo and resubmitted to the Planning Board, and is publicly available for review. When the Building 1 design and Site Plan Approval process is initiated, an updated sound study will be submitted and will include sound generated from the entire development.
How can we continue to get feedback and questions from the public?
- Unified is always open and receptive to feedback and creative ideas that can improve the development plans and minimize any impacts to the residents or the Town as a whole. To that end, we invite everyone to attend the public hearings for the development and provide their feedback. We will also look to host future information meetings where residents will have an opportunity to share their feedback on the development.