"it’s spurring some interest"

The site consists of three lots: Wendy’s, which occupies a building allowed to have a drive-through; one parcel on which Daddario will seek a sit-down restaurant; and a third parcel on which he will seek a tenant hoping to use an office building. 

“(There) was a lot of controversy with it,” Daddario said. “There was some initial disappointment with having to lose Taco Bell.” 

“Now we’re excited to get some more serious interest in the other two parcels and get it full, so we’re going to keep moving forward.”

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1266412437/Builder-making-progress-on-Knights-site-in-Franklin#ixzz1ili91oXe

"thinks the new plan will help with traffic concerns"

Daddario would also be required to make improvements to the Franklin Village Plaza traffic light, since that intersection would have increased use from drivers making U-turns to head toward downtown. 

After meeting with the state, which owns that stretch of West Central Street, Daddario learned that upgrades there would be more involved and expensive than originally thought. 

That expense, coupled with tenants' concerns about the restrictions, led Daddario to reconsider the project, he said. 

Town Engineer William Yadisernia said his major concern with the initial project was that it had two restaurants - both of which would have their busiest periods at the same time of day. 

"Even a full-service restaurant would be fine," Yadisernia said. 

Town Planner Beth Dahlstrom said the Planning Board expects to hold a public hearing on the revised plan at its July 11 meeting.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1781764811/Taco-Bell-Wendys-plan-may-lose-a-restaurant#ixzz1PQmT9SwI

Proposed Taco Bell / Wendy’s needs more solid traffic plan

5 days after being approved by the Conservation Commission, James Daddario and his consultants hoped to move the project along further at the Town Planning Board meeting last night.   The Taco Bell/ Wendy's is slated to occupy the old Knights of Columbus site at 505 West Central Street.   While the Board was in favor of having the site redeveloped, the proposal has raised a lot of concern regarding traffic turning left into as well as turning out of the site onto 140, especially since that strip of West Central is notorious as a high traffic accident area. 

The town and the developers both did a traffic measurement of the site, but the reports are conflicting, causing a temporary stall in the project.  Questions over the different methods used to measure the gaps in traffic on 140 (which would determine how easily a turn into the site could be made), as well as the time of year traffic was measured and a lack of future traffic projections were not agreed upon.

The Planning Board suggested that Mr. Daddario’s traffic consultants meet with the town’s traffic consultant along with MA Highway to jointly devise a more solid plan on how to alleviate traffic concerns at the entrance to the site-whether it be restructuring the lanes or having some sort of traffic light.  If they can ensure that public safety won’t be an issue, the project is likely to move forward.


Contributor - Diane Field

Franklin, MA