Hungry Puppy Receives First Expansion Approval

As part of the zoning board's meeting on Monday night, the Hungry Puppy got its first preliminary nod of approval as it looks to expand from its current size. 

The focus of Monday's meeting was on a part of the expansion that involves the parking lot on the property. Questions were raised by the board members about how the expansion would impact not only the customers going to the store, but any delivery trucks that would be driving onto the property. 

Many of the questions focused on tractor trailers that would bring supplies to the store not only now, but also as the expansion continues. Board Planner Jennifer Beahm asked the applicants about some of the specifications that were laid out in the plans in terms of how the trucks could maneuver around the buildings. Beahm said according to the plans she had seen, it appeared as though the trucks would be very close to the buildings but she was assured that there would be room for the trucks to move. 

As the questions continued they also got even more specific. Board member Wendell Nanson asked about whether the plans had accounted for not only what cars and trucks would use the driveways, but also how fast they would be doing so. Especially for the larger tractor trailers, Nanson said that a truck pulling into the lot from a dead stop will handle differently than one moving even five or 10 miles per hour. 

The questions about what impact the different speeds, different sized vehicles and different entrances were all directed to Kevin Chen, the board's traffic engineer to look into as the application continues. And while there are still many questions to be answered as more hearings are scheduled, another question the board asked the applicant to look into was how their planned expansion would be impacted by the farmland and wetland buffers that are on the property. 

For more on Monday night's meeting be sure to come back to Howell Patch all this week.