Bedford Town Council Backs Market Basket

Two weeks ago, attorneys for Hannaford Bros. attended a Bedford Town Council meeting and , which was passed with a 77-percent approval during March 13's Bedford Town Elections.

Last night, councilors unanimously denied that request.

The article in question allows for Market Basket to build a 78,500 sq. ft. facility on Donald Street, just off Route 114. The size of the new structure will be more than twice the size of the 36,000 sq. ft. Hannaford, at the intersection of Jenkins Road, roughly 3.8 miles from the

Vice Chairman Chris Bandazian, who led a subcommittee that included fellow councilors Jim Scanlon and William Jean, explained the group found no standing for the request or evidence of spot zoning and denied Hannaford's appeal.

"Virtually everything has been addressed between the (Bedford) Zoning Board (of Adjustment), the Planning Board, Superior Court of Appeal, and now in the Supreme Court. The only nuance added was the fact Hannaford sued the town," said Bandazian, who also noted Hannaford did not participate in any of the Bedford ZBA or Planning Board meetings or hearings.

The vice chair added there were never allegations to suggest the vote itself or the manner in which it had been conducted were improper, but rather that Hannaford was suing the town in order to attempt to create standing in the matter. According to Bandazian, Bedford's legal council doesn't feel the supermarket chain has sufficient grounds to create standing.

Moreover, Bandazian added that the the zoning amendment in question does not represent spot zoning.

"The development of the town has evolved since the district was originally established, and what we have here is essentially a little island of commercial land surrounded by an industrial zone," said Bandazian. "The area is very different from Route 101, which is significantly residential in nature. The surrounding industrial zone (on Donald Street) allows for unlimited footprints, and this zoning article actually makes the property more compatible with surrounding properties."

Councilmen voted 7-0 to deny Hannaford's appeal, and chairman Bill Dermody, during the new business portion of last night's meeting, suggested the town take action, as requested by resident Elane Teft (who had some harsh words for Hannaford and its attorneys during the public comment portion of the meeting) and attempt to gain some of the legal fees accrued by the

"If there is anyway to recoup the legal cost for the Hannaford petition, which more than a few people described to me as frivolous, I think we should explore those options," said Dermody. "Taxpayers are spending some money here on something that's not making residents very happy at all."

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