HADLEY — With a moratorium on new natural gas connections still in effect, two, 2,000-gallon propane tanks will be installed at Mountain Farms Mall as part of the new development rising at the Route 9 site.
The Select Board on Wednesday gave permission, with approval from Fire Chief Michel Spanknebel, for W.S. Development to have the propane tanks support the 15,000-square-foot building that will house an L.L. Bean retailer, as well as the 10,700-square-foot building that will feature four business, including a Five Guys, Sport Clips and a 110 Grill.
“Due to the natural gas moratorium, we do need to supplement the construction of the buildings with propane tanks,” Dan Hester, development manager for W.S. Development of Chestnut Hill, told the Select Board.
Bollards and plantings will surround the tanks.
Although the developer initially applied for a third tank, Berkshire Gas, despite the moratorium, agreed to provide the mall the same amount of gas that had been going to the two buildings previously on the site, used for a Burger King and Florence Savings Bank branch. Those were demolished to make way for the new project.
Hester said the 110 Grill, a regional restaurant based in Chelmsford, and L.L. Bean will use the propane for heat, while the other stores will be able to access the natural gas.
Installation of propane tanks is not uncommon in development in Hadley, with the Texas Roadhouse restaurant that opened in 2015 having two, 1,000-gallon tanks on site.
Hester said construction should be complete sometime in 2019, with the businesses open by this time next year.
“We’re trying to get in and winterized before it gets too cold,” Hester said.
At another commercial site in Hadley, the Select Board could revoke the certificate of occupancy for the current tenants if a $15,141 sewer impact fee is not paid in full.
The board gave Amir Mikhchi of Amherst, the owner of Mill Valley Commons at 1 Mill Valley Road, until Dec. 5 to pay the outstanding bill.
In September, Joe Eckerle, who owns The Taproom, one of the tenants at the complex, told the Select Board he was not responsible for the full impact fee, even though he agreed to pay $2,000 so he could get his liquor license.
“It’s not my bill,” Eckerle said at the time. “It does not belong to me.”
Mikhchi, though, told the board he has an agreement with his tenants that they are responsible for the bill.
Select Board member David Fill II told Mikhchi that he would need to find a way to make the town whole. “Any dispute between you and your tenant is not really our concern,” Fill said. “We just need to be paid.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
