NORWOOD — The proposed $3 million Caldor shopping center project planned for Route 1 cleared its initial regulatory hurdle last night, securing unanimous approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Traffic Concerns and Access Negotiations
Represented by Don Myers of Norwood Engineering, the developers—Bronson & Hutensky and the Norcross Corporation—face substantial remaining obstacles, including mandatory environmental impact statements and state Department of Public Works (DPW) approval, which are expected to focus heavily on traffic mitigation. Myers estimated that the 15-store commercial complex, anchored by a Caldor department store and an unnamed supermarket situated across from Furlong’s Cottage Candies on Route 1, would draw an estimated 6,000 vehicles daily—representing an increase of roughly 4,000 cars beyond current roadway volume.
Route 1 traffic concerns previously forced two hearing continuances and a decision postponement while developers negotiated a crucial right-of-way through the Park Place Industrial Park to ensure safe southbound access and egress. Furthermore, the board requested five-year accident data, which revealed 151 accidents and three fatalities along Route 1 between Morse and Sumner streets. Board member Philip W. Riley noted the raw figures lacked direct comparative baselines, prompting the board to approve the project contingent upon strict, re-evaluable traffic safety measures.
Safety Stipulations and Developer Response
As a mandatory condition of approval, developers must fund a police detail officer stationed at the intersection of University Avenue and Route 1 until a permanent traffic signal is installed, with Police Chief James Curran consulting on peak detail hours.
Developer representative Hilliard assured the board that the project team would fully comply and implement additional safeguards, emphasizing that a poor safety reputation would jeopardize the center’s commercial viability: “If they [shoppers] have one bad experience there, they won’t come back.” Hilliard added that traffic dynamics will shift once the state constructs a planned concrete median barrier down the center of Route 1, projecting a two-year timeline for center completion and a three-year window for the state barrier installation.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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