KINGSTON – Amazon has taken another step toward building an e-commerce distribution center on the South Shore.
The project will require approvals in both Kingston and Plymouth with the 145,000-square-foot building on both sides of the town line by William C. Gould Jr. Way and Prestige Way off Exit 8 on Route 3.
In a unanimous vote last week, the Kingston Zoning Board of Appeals approved a height variance. At 45-feet, according to the zoning board, the building exceeds Kingston’s 40-foot height limit.
Attorney Bob Betters, representing developer Scannell Properties, made it clear that approval of the variance is significant for this proposal, known as Project Eagle.
“This is the minimum height needed by Amazon for this facility,” said Betters, who argued the building was technically 42-feet, 11-inches. “If the variance is not granted, and in fact absent this relief, the project would not go forward.”
Betters said the Kingston Zoning Board hearing is just the first in a series of hearings that will be required in both Kingston and Plymouth.
The next hearing is a Kingston Planning Board hearing scheduled for Monday, April 13. Amazon is requesting a special permit for use and site plan review.
A Plymouth Planning Board hearing is scheduled for April 14, with the use allowed by-right. A Plymouth Zoning Board hearing is scheduled for May 6. Betters said the use is allowed by-right in Plymouth, but not Kingston.
The Kingston Fire Department doesn’t have equipment for a building that height, so a financial contribution will likely be part of mitigation efforts. Betters said they have also been in discussion with the fire and planning officials of both towns. Water and sewer would come from Plymouth.
The 42-acre site is located within commercial districts in both towns. With a traffic study planned by the developer, both towns would conduct a peer review of that study. Approximately 75 percent of the building and approximately 20 percent of the parking would be located in Kingston.
Kingston Zoning Board Chairman Paul Dahlen said it seems to be the right area for a project like this with nearby buildings for which variances for height were requested, including the Regal Cinemas RPX theaters at Kingston Collection.
Zoning Board member Doug Dondero asked if traffic would use the Cherry Street exit off Route 44 to ease traffic. The answer was that 25 to 30 percent of the traffic is expected to take Prestige Way to Cherry Street, so the building will be accessible through Plymouth and Kingston.
Kathryn Gallerani can be reached a [email protected].
