WHATELY — As the town continues to examine economic development opportunities around Exit 35 on Interstate 91, it is contracting with Berkshire Design Group to launch a planning study around the area.

The study is funded by a $59,000 Community Planning Grant Program and will examine the town’s inventory of parcels around Exit 35, eventually resulting in a final plan outlining Berkshire Design Group’s recommendations for improvements, potential zoning changes, and opportunities for new development and market possibilities.

Town Administrator Brian Domina said the main focus will be on the intersection of Routes 5, 10 and 116, where the town hopes to redevelop the land and generate some economic growth in town. The rest of the study will be focused around the Whately Diner, Tri-Town Beach and other parts of that surrounding area, although there are numerous wetlands there.

“There’s so much traffic that goes through that intersection, and so many people go by on 91 and they don’t leave a dime of their money in town,” Domina commented. “That’s a crude way of looking at it, but I’m trying to find revenue in town.”

As part of the process, Berkshire Design Group will take inventory of the town’s land around Exit 35 and describe the current use, zoning, dimensions and other planning considerations, as well as describe the feasibility of connecting utilities, traffic volumes and alternative transportation access, according to the draft proposal signed by Berkshire Design Group Principal Jeffrey Squire.

Economic development around Interstate 91 and the intersection of Routes 5, 10 and 116 has long been a target for Whately, so much so that Domina noted that when town officials originally discussed planning, it was still Exit 24. Interstate exit numbers were changed in early 2021.

The planning study coincides with a separate environmental study the town is conducting with the Conway School of Landscape Design, which is seeking to create a climate resilience plan for the town. The primary focus of that study, Conway School Projects Manager CJ Lammers previously said, is to examine what ecological resources are around Exit 35.

“They’re looking at that interchange and looking at what ecological resources are there before they start planning the redesign of that area, which is really terrific,” Lammers explained in January. “You have to not only plan for where you want to build, you also have to plan for where you don’t want to build.”

The climate resilience plan is expected to be presented to the town in March when the school’s winter semester ends. As for the planning study, Domina said officials would like to get started “in the next month or so.”

While the wetlands may limit what the town can do, Domina anticipates receiving some recommendations on how the town could better use the well-traveled area.

“We’re not looking to plow over the wetlands,” he said. “We want to look at already developed areas and see what we can do differently.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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