WORCESTER – While some Worcester residents are pushing back a plan to redevelop Greendale Mall with an Amazon distribution center, Milford officials are working to mitigate the traffic problems a similar center has created in the city.
“We’re having problems,” Milford city administrator Richard A. Villani said Thursday, despite saying the company had been working to make things better.
The Worcester Planning Board is considering approving a site map for an Amazon last mile center where drivers pick up products to deliver on site.
Amazon operates a “last mile” center at 6-12 Industrial Way in Milford and has been continually complaining about traffic problems by locals. The Milford Center opened about four years ago.
A representative from Amazon told members of the planning committee on Wednesday that the company had learned from its mistakes in Milford and other areas, while a traffic study paid for by the Greendale Mall owner did not forecast any problems.
Patrick J. Kennelly, a member of the Milford planning committee, said many of the early complaints focused on the rudeness of Amazon delivery agents, many of whom work for third-party companies.
“They seemed to think they were street fighters,” he said, adding that stop signs appeared optional for many.
According to the Milford Daily News, select people publicly called Amazon a year ago saying the company had offered weak excuses and failed to solve the problems.
Kennelly said the company has done a better job over the past few months. Just this week, select employees named liaison officers to work with the company on traffic issues, while Amazon donated $ 25,000 to the city last month.
Kennelly said it appears the company has trained its drivers better, although he wishes the Amazon trucks were numbered to ease complaints.
State MP Brian W. Murray, D-Milford, said Thursday that he believed Amazon had made good faith efforts to correct its shortcomings.
“They’re putting the time and effort into working with the community,” said Murray, who helped connect affected residents and officials with Amazon.
Murray said he believes a big part of the problem is that Amazon, which stores vehicles in multiple locations around town, has grown its footprint there quickly and without a full understanding of the community.
Logistical problems – for example, all vans going to a gas station – have upset local residents, he said, but lessons have been learned.
“I think Amazon stepped back a bit, put in some effort to get to know the community better, and worked with the Board of Selectmen to resolve some of those traffic issues,” he said.
Milford Selectman and former police chief Thomas J. O’Loughlin said the company had technology that would enable them to track their vans and punish drivers who break traffic rules.
“It’s pretty impressive,” he said, adding that the facility in town is top notch.
O’Loughlin said he and Villani now have a direct line to key Amazon contacts who can help them get responses to complaints from residents.
“They are ready to work with us,” he said, adding that he plans to create a spreadsheet to track and address concerns.
It is unclear to what extent mounting pain in Milford could lead to Worcester, as company and business representatives have said those concerns should not be repeated here.
Alex Guardiola, director of government affairs and public order at Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday that other plans under consideration for the site have brought more traffic to the site.
He described the development as a “gain” for the city, since Amazon, unlike many other projects, will create permanent jobs and city officials will not have to offer tax incentives.
How much tax break the city might see is not yet known as the project has yet to be built. Peter Dunn, the city’s chief development officer, expects the value of the new facility to be significantly higher despite the smaller footprint.
The excise tax is also a potential benefit of the project, as Dunn believes Amazon will register vans that it parks at the facility in town.
Kennelly warned that he doesn’t believe Milford received as much excise duty as it should, given that many of the vehicles that come to the site are operated by third parties outside of town.
Dunn said the city is always on the lookout for new jobs and is pleased that all Amazon jobs there cost at least $ 15 – more than some retailers who might otherwise have set up shop.
He anticipates the center will create between 75 and 100 full-time positions at Amazon, including executive positions, and up to 175 third-party delivery jobs.
Dunn said he understood why local residents would be concerned about the traffic. He said the public works department had reviewed the traffic study and was unaware of any major concerns.
The Worcester Planning Board on Wednesday extended its approval hearing to December 30th, saying it wanted more time to review the traffic study.
Dunn said members could suggest appropriate mitigation measures if there was a disagreement about how much traffic the site will generate.
A number of concerns that residents raised on Wednesday night concerned Amazon itself, including concerns about its work practices and safety. Others said they believed affordable housing was better use of the site.
However, the planning authority cannot take such criticism into account in its decision, as they do not fall within its area of responsibility.
The city has no legal right to tell private developers what to do with their properties, and the planning authority could be sued if they refuse a permit that is zoned for use as in the case of Amazon.
When asked what advice he could give local officials, Kennelly said it was important to create conditions where possible, including whether to monitor the impact on traffic when the facility opens.
So far, Kennelly doesn’t believe Milford has generated enough tax revenue to call Amazon’s move positive.
When asked if the retail giant building a new 320,000-square-foot warehouse elsewhere in town was good for Milford, Villani was diplomatic.
“It really depends who you talk to,” he said, noting that people who live or travel near the facility still have a lot of complaints.