Business & Tech

Planning Board Remains in Discussion With Target

Decisions on overall project and sign specifics to come in upcoming months.

with the Wilmington Planning Board and construction is unlikely to being before next spring according to a letter given to the at .

According to the update from Planning Director Carole Hamilton, the Planning Board opened a public hearing for sign special permits during a June 5 meeting.

Hamilton said representatives asked for a wall sign on the main façade of the building that extends above the roof line. In addition, the company seeks two secondary signs that face Ballardvale Street and I-93.

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But Wilmington bylaws allow just one secondary sign and a third sign in special circumstances at the Planning Board’s discretion. Board members also received a request for two free standing sings, one at the entrance and one on I-93.

The letter to selectmen said that the sign at the entrance is proposed at 30 feet tall where 15 feet is allowed, and Target seeks a 120-foot sign on the highway.

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Planning Board members told Target that the highway sign will not be approved while the Ballardvale sign proposal must be reduced.

Following a change in the zoning for the area in 2009, the Target project was approved. However, the uncertain economy forced the postponement of the store construction.

On May 1 of this year, the Planning Board opened a new hearing on the plans after Target came back with an amended site plan with the intention of resuming the project.

The original store proposal was for 138,500 square feet with 501 parking spaces, according to Hamilton. The current proposal is proposed to be closer to Ballardvale Street with a size of 139,000 square feet and 506 parking spaces.

Hamilton and the Planning Board closed the public hearing for the new site plan review and will decide on the proposal during a July 10 meeting. The hearing for the signage at the store was continued to August 7.

Target is unlikely to begin construction before spring 2013, according to Hamilton.


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