SOUTH DEERFIELD — The Deerfield Planning Board approved a site plan and stormwater permit for a new access driveway at Tree House Brewing Co. this week that is designed to allow for better traffic flow and ensure efficient emergency responses.
The new 24-foot-wide secondary access driveway, off Route 5, would connect to the northwest corner of the existing parking lot. The new entrance will likely serve as a means of egress during packed special events, as well as an entrance for emergency vehicles when necessary. The brewery has a capacity limit of 5,000.
With only one driveway for vehicles to enter and leave the property, Timothy Grace, the Tighe & Bond engineering consultant who has been working on the project, said the new opening will allow Tree House to work with public safety officials to create a one-way circulation pattern for vehicles and pedestrians for each special event.
“Right now, they don’t have that flexibility,” Grace told the Planning Board. “It’s essentially a free-for-all.”
According to Grace, outside of special events like busy concerts and the upcoming half-marathon on Sunday, Sept. 14, the exit driveway would be closed and blocked by a gate.
Given its high capacity, the popular brewery had been tasked with creating an emergency action plan. The existing entrance can be a difficult squeeze for emergency vehicles, but Grace said the new 24-foot-wide driveway would fit the largest emergency vehicle in Deerfield based on prior conversations with the fire chief.
Next, Grace and Allison Flanagan, Tree House Brewing Co.’s compliance and business development manager, will seek approval of their Notice of Intent from the Deerfield Conservation Commission, along with a state highway access permit from the state Department of Transportation. Throughout this process, they will continue conversations with fire and police chiefs to ensure safe traffic flow through the new access point.
To construct the driveway, Grace said Tree House Brewing Co. must remove four eastern white pine trees with minimal landscaping of the native plants, a minor project considering it’s “essentially just a driveway similar to that of a single-family residence.”
Grace said he hopes construction will kick into gear in the fall, but he emphasized the plan depends on the timing of approval from MassDOT.
