WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The town’s Planning Commission is directing the Upper Valley Haven to develop a parking management plan for its facility to address commissioners’ concerns about traffic safety and congestion.
On Monday, the Planning Commission voted, 4-3, to withdraw a requirement that the Haven build a connector road to the parking lot of neighboring St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, as part of the Haven’s master plan. The Haven appealed to strike the requirement.
But the commission added a condition that requires the Haven to submit a parking management plan by Jan. 15. Some commissioners indicated they could take the opportunity to reopen a discussion about vehicle traffic on the Haven property.
The commission had voted in July to require construction of a two-way connector road between the Haven parking lot and St. Paul’s. The Haven is allowed to use the church lot when services aren’t being held. The connector road’s stated purpose was aimed to reduce vehicle turning onto Hartford Avenue to travel between the properties to find an available parking space.
The connector road requirement also effectively killed a plan to build a homeless shelter on the property, as there would not be enough space for both the shelter and the connector. The church and the Haven have since announce their intention to proceed without the shelter.
The Haven, in its appeal to the commission, contended that the connector road would have to intersect a planned pedestrian path connecting the Haven and a public transit stop on Hartford Avenue and would result in a loss of at least three parking spaces at the St. Paul’s lot.
In addition, a traffic study by engineer Erica Wygonik of Wall Consulting Group found that both lots have sufficient capacity and that there is no need for vehicles to travel between the two properties.
“Creating an internal access road is like a solution in search of a problem,” Wygonik told the commission.
A majority of the commissioners — even members who didn’t support the connector road as a solution — contended that parking and traffic at the Haven is a major problem.
“Maybe an accident hasn’t happened yet, but from what I see there is potential to be one, with vehicles having to back up with pedestrians in the same place, all the shipping and receiving along with the pedestrian traffic,” Commissioner John Heath said. “I really think the whole parking lot needs to be looked at.”
For many commissioners, the central issue was not sharing of parking lots but a broader concern about the Haven’s growth as an organization and its scope of services, which includes two temporary shelters for homeless individuals and families, a community food pantry program and a take-home meals service.
“The problem of the Haven parking lot is because the Haven’s mission today has morphed into something completely different from what it was when its plan was approved,” Commissioner Colin Butler said.
Vice Chairman Bruce Riddle criticized the aesthetic of the Haven’s layout, saying the volume of cars, along with the presence of delivery trucks, makes the Haven look like “a drop-off for a convenience store at a strip mall.”
“I think the Haven has to work harder at managing how this looks,” Riddle said.
Commission Chairman John Reid and Commissioner Dillon Bianchi reminded their colleagues that it is too late to reopen a full discussion of the Haven’s parking situation — other than the connector road, which was the only condition added when the commission approved the Haven’s site plan.
“You basically said that if they put that road in, you would approve (the plan),” Bianchi told commissioners. “You can’t now, all of sudden, say you want (other conditions.”
Butler contended the submission of a parking management plan could reopen the commission’s ability to review the Haven’s broader parking and driveway layout.
“I think in our approvals (there is) boiler-plate language that allows us to reopen an approval if there’s some dissatisfaction in how it is implemented,” Butler said.
Reid, Riddle, Bianchi and Butler voted in support of withdrawing the road requirement but directing the submission of a parking management plan.
Commissioners Toby Dayman, Robin Logan and Heath voted in the minority against the motion. While the members indicated being favorable to the management plan, they said the connector road should remain a requirement.
Haven representatives reiterated that they have no plans to resubmit an application to build a 20-bed low-barrier homeless shelter on its property.
That project “is completely off the table,” said Nathan Stearns, attorney for the Haven.
Haven Director Michael Redmond indicated the possibility of developing additional parking in space previously targeted for the low-barrier shelter, which could potentially be a component of the Haven’s management plan.
Patrick Adrian may be reached at 603-727-3216 or at padrian@vnews.com.