TURNERS FALLS — After hearing vocal opposition from dozens of residents, the Planning Board on Tuesday voted 3-2 to support rezoning a 15.6-acre lot on Turnpike Road and bringing the question to a special Town Meeting.

The hearing follows a July 25 petition by the Planning Board to “allow a permit pathway for potential manufacturing or multi-family uses” at the 15.6-acre parcel, Town Planner Maureen Pollock said previously. The vacant lot, which lies between Judd Wire and the Department of Public Works, currently falls in a Neighborhood Business District that prohibits manufacturing or processing, multi-family dwellings of three units or more, and mixed-use buildings. Town Administrator Steve Ellis previously noted the town-owned parcel is “the last available 15-acre site that [Montague has] that has reasonably ready access to all utilities.”

The proposed shift to “General Business” zoning, which would allow for manufacturing by special permit, comes partially in response to manufacturing company NE-XT Technologies expressing interest in expanding its operations. Most in attendance at Tuesday’s hearing opposed the zoning change for a variety of reasons, including the potential for increased traffic, obstruction of emergency response, habitat damage, disturbance of a nearby cemetery, and more.

Dozens packed into Town Hall’s second-floor meeting room at 6:30 p.m. for the hearing, which lasted about two hours. It began with an presentation of the proposal by Pollock, who provided detail about the land and the impetus for the Planning Board’s petition. In doing so, she directly referenced NE-XT Technologies (formerly Valley Steel Stamp) after previously declining to disclose which specific company was interested in the parcel. The company has been looking to expand for years, but has had trouble finding a permissible location to do so in the region, according to Pollock, who noted previously that the parcel could potentially fit a manufacturing building up to 100,000 square feet in size and provide “a few hundred … really good-paying jobs.”

“It seemed that the town wanted to explore the possibility of rezoning that parcel to accommodate this existing manufacturing company to be located here in town,” Pollock said Tuesday. “I’ve been told that they’re good paying jobs and [there are currently] about 208 employees there.”

Residents’ concerns were summarized early in the hearing by resident Evelyn Walsh in a speech on behalf of “REST IN PEACE,” a group organized in response to the Planning Board’s petition. In addition to listing the ways in which inviting manufacturing companies could be harmful to those in close proximity to the parcel, she denounced the Planning Board’s consideration of a “contract zoning” philosophy. Contract zoning, Walsh described, involves a zoning amendment “granted as a benefit to a developer or builder in a particular situation, rather than as the best possible decision guiding land use in the abstract.”

“This proposed rezoning will result in a project that is the wrong size, and in the wrong place,” Walsh said in a raised voice, eliciting applause from those in attendance. “It is not a responsible choice of land use for this particular parcel.”

“You care more about this company more than you do about your own people in the village of Turners Falls,” resident Jaqueline Galvis the Planning Board, calling the idea “disgusting.”

The board and other town officials responded to citizen concerns not with direct disagreement, but rather with emphasis that bringing the proposed zoning change to Town Meeting would not commit the town to selling the parcel to NE-XT Technologies, or any manufacturer, for that matter. Rather, it would be an opportunity for the community to have increased flexibility should an opportunity for development be considered advantageous, Selectboard Chair Rich Kuklewicz explained.

“There is no done deal,” he continued. “There is no backdoor dealing. There is nothing up front. … Those of you who know me know I don’t play like that.”

“I’m a proponent of not wanting something terrible in your backyard. I completely agree with that and I don’t want certain things in my backyard either. But really, what we’re here to discuss tonight is a zoning change, not a special permit hearing, so the fact that everybody is sort of dug-in and feels so passionate about not wanting this factory or manufacturing plant to come in, that’s not really what’s on the table at the moment.” Planning Board member Bob Obear said.

Town Administrator Steve Ellis noted that if the zoning change were to be voted down at Town Meeting, a developer that had been set on developing at the parcel could feasibly feel inclined to continue exploring elsewhere in town. He noted, however, that other town land would lack vital utilities. One example is a 30-acre town-owned plot off of West Mineral Road near the industrial park that lacks sewer access.

“Honestly, if a zoning change fails, then a company would have the option of considering other things and talking with the community about extending utilities, which might include, depending on the lot, water, sewer and three-phase power,” Ellis explained. “It would almost certainly be a multi-million dollar investment, but they certainly could come forward with that.”

Planning Board members Ron Sicard, Bob Obear and George Cooke voted in favor of recommending to the Selectboard that a relevant article be brought to special Town Meeting, which is scheduled for Oct. 10. Elizabeth Irving voted against rezoning the property, opting to show solidarity with the majority opinion expressed by residents during the hearing. Sam Guerin also voted aganist the proposal, explaining that while he was in favor of the zoning change, he wanted to extend the public hearing in order to acquire written comments from town counsel regarding the legality of the process.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.