Blanchard's II

Back in March, I wrote a post about the new proposed Blanchard's Liqours at the edge of Precinct 3's borders on Route 28 (near CVS) at the old Knights of Columbus building.

The building was a hot button topic, thanks to discussion started on Janet Joakim's SevenVillages Blog. I chose to write my own post on the topic because of the magnitude of the issue and its extreme proximity to Precinct 3 - It's across the street from this Precinct.

When discussing it, I saw three major issues that needed to be discussed:

1. Since the town hands out liquor licenses, should it relocate the store into an area that already has two stores in a 1.5 mile area?
2. Traffic Impact of the new store
3. Impact of the store on children

After writing the article and reading the comments left by many (including the late Bradley Ouimette, who will be missed), I came up with the following answers:

1. While competition is a GOOD thing, too much competition will in this area will likely result in one of the two current stores being forced to close. Thus, we are left with a trade of abandoned buildings - Knights of Columbus for the closed liquor store(s).
2. The traffic impact of the store would be a MAJOR problem. This stretch of Rt. 28 is dangerous enough, and adding an entrance and exit at this location will only make it worse.
3. Contrary to the belief of some, adding a liquor store to this area is not an issue for the children at the nearby Middle School. There are already liquor stores closer to the High School, the Charter Schools, and Elementary Schools. Plus, it is absurd to think that Blachard's employees would be duped into selling to Middle Schoolers, no matter how good their fake IDs might be...

The biggest issue turned out to be traffic. I feel that allowing the largest liquor store in the Mid-Cape area to be placed at this location without traffic correction is recipe for traffic disaster. If you think that the Lumbert's Mill or 149 intersections with Rt. 28 are bad, this could be even worse. Now, there were possible ways to deal with the traffic issues - back entrance/exit, median strip, etc... - but Blanchard's chose not to include them in their proposal.

The curb cuts they proposed are similar to Olive Garden, the McDonald's on Rt. 132 and both Christmas Tree Shops entrances on Rt. 28 and Rt. 132. In other words, these are the exits/entrances you see people cutting across multiple lanes of traffic to use incorrectly. This is mainly because there are no ways to turn around in Hyannis. Who in their right mind WANTS to go around the Airport Rotary so they can go to McDonald's? Why drive past it, when you can just sit in the Left-hand lane and pray for an opening (a big one) so that you can take the very awkward turn?

Curb cuts do not solve the problem, and often cause even greater problems because people driving by these cuts are not expecting other cars to take illegal left-hand turns.

Anyway, the proposed store required Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approval because the land is not currently zoned for that use. However, when the proposal came up before the ZBA, the ZBA had no problem approving it even after the Town Manager, Town Council President AND the Town Councilor from that Precinct (Precinct 2) all spoke before the board about the negative impact on traffic that would occur in the area.

The opponents of the project stepped up to the nuclear option, obtaining Cape Cod Commission (CCC) review of the project. Blanchard's had originally escaped review because, at 9,800 square feet, their building fell just 200 square feet short of mandatory CCC review - 10,000 square feet. CCC review could very well kill the project either because of the time & expense or a disapproval. Opponents of the project have also been conducting a mini-"purge" of the ZBA.

More recently, the "Blogger Who Promises To Retire But Never Does" has claimed that the actions of at least the Council President were based because there is a distant family connection between her family and the family that owns one of the two liquor stores nearby the proposed Blanchard's site. Let me be the first to say that I have no idea whether or not this is true, but it would have no impact on my opinion either way.

Cape Cod Package Store (CCPS), located just seconds down Rt. 28, now wants to expand... The COG author asserts that the traffic coming out of this store at its current size is worse than any that would occur at the Blanchard's site. While there are always going to be morons who ignore traffic laws, the COG author leaves out one thing. It is POSSIBLE for people to take a left turn out of this store, BUT it is MORE likely that the will use the BACK entrance which will take them right to the smart light at the intersection that is a few feet away and will allow them to go wherever they want.

If the CCPS wants to expand, they should go through the same arduous process - ZBA and public opinion - that Blanchard's went through before receiving token approval from the ZBA. Let's see some real review of CCPS impact on traffic, and if that means changing the CCPS entrance on Rt. 28 to the Right ONLY In/Out entrance that was proposed for Blanchard's, then let's demand it. This time the Right ONLY In/Out curb cut will actually work - because patrons can exit out the back, right to the light at Phinney's Lane & Rt. 28.

If Blanchard's had included a rear entrance (like CCPS has) that would have placed patrons on Wequaquet Ave./Old Strawberry Hill Rd. in addition to their Right ONLY In/Out entrance on Rt. 28, then they probably would have eliminated traffic concerns and approval would never have been an issue. Patrons could take their lefts at the light. (Though, this plan might have required future alterations to the intersection - additional left turn lanes and signals - depending on how much traffic there really was.) Yet, even this plan caused unrest among Blanchard's prospective neighbors.

In the end, the ZBA ignored the pleas of both citizens and officials - that is why Blanchard's faces CCC review and that is why the ZBA is being shaken up. For once, the community actually voiced their opinion on a zoning issue, but the ZBA ignored them. Hopefully, the new members of the ZBA will listen as we begin some discussion on the proposed expansion of CCPS.

Replace Church with Liquor Store?

On Rt. 28 in Centerville, there are discussions of replacing a church with a mega-liquor store... Maybe that is exaggerating a little bit, as the debate centers around replacing the decrepit Knights of Columbus building (right near CVS) with a brand new 9600 sq. ft. Blanchard's Liquors. Blanchard's Liquors currently has a store just a couple miles down Rt. 28 behind the Cape Cod Mall, but are looking for a more stable and permanent location.

On the face, this appears to be a good idea, as the Knights of Columbus property is awful. Both the building and land are unkempt and falling apart. The property is a real waste and basically an empty lot/abandoned building. Having a nice, new building constructed here would be pleasant. Yet, there are more issues that go into the discussion.



The Knights of Columbus location is just outside the 3rd Precinct. As a resident of the 3rd, I frequent the nearby CVS and surrounding roads. I know the area very well. The construction of this building will have an impact on my travel.



However, there are three questions that should be considered when discussing this building. One, do we need another liquor store in the area, and should this opinion have an impact on construction. Two, what impact on traffic in the already poorly regulated area will the construction have. Three, should the nearby location of the Barnstable Middle School have an impact?



Please click on the picture at the bottom of this post to see a picture of the area this building would go...

ONE: Do We Need Another Liquor Store in the Area?
The first real question is should government be able to mandate whether a kind of business can be built... In general, I oppose government placing itself in matters of building/housing construction and renovation/additions. However, in this case, because the town has the right to limit liquor permits, there should be discussion on whether or not we should give the permitting.

If you look at the map at the bottom of the page, (click on it to expand) you will see that there are two liquor stores (Barnstable Bottle Shoppe & Cape Cod Package Store) within a mile of the proposed Blanchard's. If you were to look further to the right on that map towards Downtown Hyannis, you would see even more liquor/package stores. Clearly, there already is a significant amount of competition for Blanchard's in this area.

My main concern with this competition, is to ensure that we are not left with an empty undesirable 9600 sq ft building on Rt. 28. With the amount of competition already in the area, it would not be surprising to see either Blanchard's go out of business or one or both of the smaller stores in the area to fold. If Blanchard's were to be forced to close in 5 years, what will happen to the building?

I think should be some discussion on how feasible Blanchard's thinks this location is, how the other stores think this will affect their business, and is it REALLY necessary to have a third licensed and permitted liquor store in this very small area.


TWO: Traffic Impact
The Strawberry Hill Road/Rt. 28 Intersection is already a traffic headache. There is a "smart" light at the intersection, but it is poorly programmed and can cause cars to wait for minutes on Strawberry Hill Road when there is no traffic (I mean no cars at all) on Rt. 28. Also, there is considerable left-turn traffic in all 4 lanes, but no turn signals - just solid lights.

Adding the additional traffic from a new liquor store will only complicate matters at this busy and dangerous intersection.

However, perhaps we could use the addition of this store to put in new smarter (better programmed) lights with turn signals and/or a median strip from the beginning of store property right until the light. The newer lights have not been discussed, but a median strip has. A median strip would eliminate the possibility of drivers trying to cut from one side of Rt. 28 to the other to get to Blanchard's and CVS. Yet, this solution causes the problem of drivers who want to go back towards the Mall on 28 taking matters into their own hands with u-turns at the intersection or going down to the 7-11 to turn around in their lot, etc... So even a median strip has its issues.

However, the issue seems moot because developer is refusing the cost. We could try to force the issue, but who knows what could happen. The developer is instead proposing curb cuts, like the Olive Garden and the Rt. 28 entrance to Christmas Tree Shops, that are designed to funnel traffic forcing only right-hand turns in and out of the property and deterring left-hand turns in and out. At the Olive Garden which is located AT a very busy 5-lane wide intersection, this works, partially because of their rear entrance. However, at the Christmas Tree Shops and other location with a similar curb cut and less traffic (Rt. 132 McDonald's) these curb cuts DO NOT work, even though they have alternate entrances. I know that I am not the only person to ignore similar curb cuts & "No left turn" signs so that I can still take lefts.

Even if this were to work, we still have the same issues of a median strip and people wanting to head back towards the Mall. They are not going to take a right at the light and go backroads to 132. They are not going to take a left at the light to go to West Main and head back to Hyannis that way. They're going to be pulling U-turns and turning around the first place they can. We haven't even addressed the issues of people coming from Centerville (heading towards Hyannis) on Rt. 28 who want to go to Blanchard's. They are either going to cut across traffic and go around the curb cut to get in (most likely) or they're going to go to the first place they can after the store to turn around - so the apartment complexes, roads, and the middle school in the area are going to be filled with people turning around, etc. (plausible)... Not a pretty idea...

Obviously, there are some serious traffic issues here that haven't been addressed, and I don't know if they can be solved. This is a big issue.


THREE: Stop This For "The Children"?

Enough already. I am tired or every little thing that we do in America is justified as being "for the children". Do we need to protect them? Yes. Should we ignore them simply because they cannot vote? No. Are they a priority in many people's lives? Yes. Should they be brought up to justify every decision we make? NO!

Some opposition to this store is being made because of its proximity to the Barnstable Middle School and (to a lesser extent) Barnstable High. The School Committee voted unanimously against a liquor store so close to the schools, even thought they have no legitimate say in the matter. This does bring up the question of would the liquor store this close to those schools be an issue with "the children".

First, if you take a look at the map again, note the location and distance from the entrance to the Middle School to the proposed Blanchard's site and compare it with the distance from the HIGH SCHOOL entrance and Barnstable Bottle Shoppe. From my calculations, the High School is already closer to another liquor store. The Cape Cod Package Store is not much further from the High School than Blanchard's would be. Yes, there's another liquor store in the area, but they already have two. If you're worried about the stores not IDing kids, the stores should already being regularly checked by the police (undercover, etc...) f9r ID compliance. Adding another store should not be an issue for high schoolers' access to alcohol. As a matter of fact, by moving Blanchard's away from the MALL (High Schooler hangout),, they may be reducing the chances of high schoolers tying stupid things with fake ID's.

This leaves the Middle Schoolers. I honestly don't have ANY clue how this liquor store would impact middle schoolers. They can't drive, so they'd have to walk up to the store, and I don't care how good your fake ID is, any liquor store clerk should be able to tell if you're a KID. AND, if they aren't sure, they have the right to refuse to sell the product.

Overall, I see no impact on local children by the addition of this store. If we were that concerned about "the children" then we should be more worried about the current location of Barnstable Bottle Shoppe. They are closer to the high school and basically across the street from the Hyannis West Elementary School (property in green at bottom right of map). We should be more concerned about Elementary School Children and possible access to alcohol - have you seen the fake IDs THOSE kids have - WOW! (Please note the sarcasm...)

In reality, location of alcohol does not matter as much as ease of access does to kids attempting to obtain alcohol. We need to make sure ALL liquor stores in Barnstable and the Barnstable Police are cracking down on fake IDs and people purchasing for minors. That is more important than the location of a single liquor store.


CONCLUSIONS
I have mixed feelings about this project. When I started writing this post, I was on the fence leaning toward allowing the new Blanchard's... Yet, as continued writing and saw all the potential issues, I now am leaning toward NOT allowing this building. As a basic principle, I endorse free and unhindered property development - it's YOUR property. However, this case presents the problem of extensive area competition that could start causing either this property or the sites of the other liquor stores in the area to become exactly what the Kinghts of Columbus is now - empty and unkempt. Also, it seems apparent that without any other entrances to alleviate traffic on Rt. 28 (Which CVS, Olive Garden, Christmas Tree, etc... all have), this construction will severely tax this intersection and area of Rt. 28 and it will clearly make this stretch of road more dangerous. These issues are real and important.

I think that opponents of this project should stop throwing "the children" at us and start throwing the real concerns and issues this project presents to the people of Barnstable. I think that Blanchard's needs to address and solve these problems satisfactorily before anything moves forward. I think that we need to think about this one before rushing forward.

Thanks go to Town Council President Janet Joakim for bringing this issue up on her blog - www.sevenvillagesblog.com.

Map of the area around proposed site of Blanchard's Liquors.

(Click to expand in this browser page or right-click "Open in New Window")

(Note: A post on the Town's handling of the Open Meeting of the Voters petition will be coming soon.)