Dollar Tree Reps Talk Noise, Light Pollution and Truck Traffic

Trucks barrelling down roads populated by families with young children. Unknown employees wandering through neighborhoods on their way to the Rainbow Reservoir during their lunch breaks. The inability to sell their home with a 1,700 foot long, 40-foot tall building across the road. No longer being able to enjoy a summer afternoon outside because of noise pollution caused by hours of construction.

These are the concerns of some Rainbow Residents in the wake of Dollar Tree's proposal to build a distribution center on International Drive and Stone Road.

Dollar Tree representatives presented their site plan to the Town Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday evening, providing a clearer picture of how big of an effect the proposed one-million-square-foot facility will have on neighboring households.

According to the project's engineer, Windsor's Ed Lally, the project will feature two entrances: one truck entrance on International Drive, and one employee entrance on Stone Road.

The Stone Road entrance, Lally said, will initially be the only entrance. It will be used by construction vehicles to access and build the second entrance on International Drive.

Lally said a noise study was conducted on the property between February 17-19, revealing that operations on the site will not exceed the town noise regulations of 61 decibels in the day and 51 decibels at night.

The site, representatives said, will feature directionally focused alarms, and "zero light trespass" light fixtures, meaning that the light fixtures on the property are designed to limit the cone of light emitted, Town Planner Eric Barz said.

While the light fixtures will limit the cone of direct light emitted, ambient light from the facility cannot be avoided, and will be seen by residents nearby, Barz added.

One question mark left by representatives is the amount of increased traffic through neighborhoods.

Dollar Tree conducted an extensive traffic study, finding that the facility would create 139 exiting trucks on a daily basis and that increased traffic would not create problems at the intersection of International Road and Route 20.

However, the company's study yielded a 50-50 chance of increased traffic through residential areas when looking at the employee entrance on Stone Road.

"It's 50-50 whether or not employees will choose to take a left to International Drive or take a right and drive through neighborhoods (when leaving work)," a traffic specialist contracted by Dollar Tree told the Town Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday.

The specialist added that the entrance on Stone Road could produce an increase of ten or more vehicles on Stone Road during a peak hour, and that Dollar Tree will let employees know that the preferred route is International Drive.

Some Rainbow residents have voice concerns about construction hours over the next year as Dollar Tree prepares to open for business in the summer of 2013.

Representatives addressed their concerns Wednesday, saying that they will schedule major construction on Sundays and major holidays.

They also said they will encourage construction employees to limit their work days to 12 hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., but working until 9 p.m. will be allowed.

Town Planner Eric Barz said Tuesday that Lally has designed for twice the amount of required landscaping in an effort to address the concerns of neighbors.

That landscaping includes berms around the property of five-to-six feet, with evergreen trees planted on top of them.

Representatives said the building, which will stand 40-feet high, would still be visible.