Residents begin voicing concerns about the 300 unit apartment complex

For over two hours residents, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the developers of a proposed 300-unit 40B project planned for Hathaway Road debated the project's logistics and feasibility.

“We’re neighbors whose basements will flood, whose property fails, with parents whose children get struck due to the possibility of extra traffic being added in, where a neighborhoods privacy is going to be trespassed by not only light but also due to noise from I-95,” said Daniel Rodrigues, who lives near the site. 

During the meeting on Monday, March 2, the developers for The Hathaway presented their civil and traffic plans. 

The Hathaway would be a 40B project, which would allow the developers to bypass certain zoning laws since 25%, or 75 apartments, would fall under affordable housing.

During the meeting, the traffic consultant for the developers, Jeffery Dirk of Vanasse and Associates, presented their traffic study findings. 

The study was conducted in early November across two days, and included Route 6 at Hathaway Road and at Slocum Road; Hathaway Road at Slocum Road, Wilbur Avenue and at the 140 Southbound and Northbound ramps. 

These areas were found to have crashes at a higher rate than the Massachusetts average, according to data taken between 2018 and 2022. 

One resident described the road as “a death trap,” and many others stated that extra cars could cause extra crashes.

Some residents shared stories of having people dying on their neighbors lawns due to hazardous conditions.

“My parents have experienced … five really bad accidents on their property that have taken down the telephone poles and the bushes,” said one resident whose parents live on Spring Hill Road, “One of them leading to a death in their neighbors’ yard.”

The study showed that people typically went 44 miles per hour rather than the posted 40 speed limit. On average, there are 29,000 cars traveling these roads every day.

The study didn’t factor in the proposed sale of the Whaling City Golf Course to turn it into a business park with businesses, medical offices, retail and more. At the time, the plans for the Whaling City Golf Course had not received any city approvals, so the developers weren’t required to include the traffic data for the golf course in their study.

Many residents showed concern about this, as both The Hathaway and Whaling City Golf Course could add a large amount of traffic.

To prevent further traffic, they would put a stop sign at the entrance to the apartments, and request more stop signs at intersections around town such as at Hathaway and Slocum Road and Hathaway and Wilbur Avenue. They also recommended more safety measures such as implementing a better timed traffic light system at Route 6 and Slocum Road. 

People in attendance were concerned that more stop signs could cause even more back-up on the roads.

Dirk stated that with the road improvement project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for Route 6, planned for 2027, that their apartments will not be as much of a traffic problem. 

However, both residents and Medeiros commented that this project has been promised and planned for years.

Apartment complexes similar in size to The Hathaway were found to add 1,338 cars a day during the weekdays, with 118 in the morning and 111 at night during peak hours. Residents noted that weekends are often more busy than weekdays, and said the findings don’t reflect the traffic on the roads.

“If you have more cars you’re going to have more traffic in here, we’re adding more cars because there’s going to be more units,” said Michael Medeiros, the chair of the Zoning Board.

The developers plan to have 341 parking spots but would expand to 428 if these are not enough spaces. Additional parking would be near Hope Evangelical Community Church and along the wetlands. 

Residents raised concern about this, stating this lack of parking could cause those living in the apartments to park on side streets.  

Dirk said the buildings would be built tall to conserve the wetlands behind the planned development. They also requested a variance to build a billboard, which he said could generate funds to donate for wetlands efforts. Developer Dave Calhoun stated they have already discussed this with the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. 

Phillip Cordeiro, the civil engineer, assured residents that water wouldn’t flow into the neighboring Eisenhower Drive, as planned retention basins would prevent it from flowing anywhere but the wetlands or into the ground. 

The developers are working with the Department of Public Works to coordinate the possibility of connecting to town water and sewer. 

The layout of the six buildings would be four stories at the front, with five stories toward the back to accommodate for the natural slope of the land. The fronts of the buildings would be 44 feet tall, and 55 feet at the back. 

Many residents had issues with the height, especially those on Eisenhower Road who said they could be losing the wildlife and view behind their houses. 

There would also be a sports court on the border between the apartments and  Hope Evangelical Community Church, with the agreement that the church could use the court for their youth groups and clubs. The plans also include a dog park, pool and an amenities building. 

The main civil concerns brought forward were about building height and lighting causing privacy issues, as well as the fact that the wetland study was reviewed from 2014 rather than re-done, which was permitted.

Medeiros asked that Calhoun provide the number of apartments if the buildings were changed to three and four stories. 

“That’s not the product we’re trying to build, we’re trying to build a high class product that people want,” said Calhoun. He added that he has no obligation to provide a model of three and four story buildings, as he applied for four and five story buildings. 

On Monday, April 6, the peer review consultant for traffic will review the traffic study. 

At the next meeting, the developer will provide a model of the view from Eisenhower Road to show how it would be affected by the buildings.