Sunderland ZBA approves permit for storage, testing lab for Delta Sand and Gravel

SUNDERLAND — The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special permit for Delta Sand and Gravel to replace two storage buildings with a single storage building that will also contain testing labs for asphalt and gravel.

Delta Sand and Gravel President Craig Warner, who came before the ZBA last week, said the new building would store the same materials his company already has been storing on the site, which is located at 562 Amherst Road. The building, which is owned by Delta Sand and Gravel, will also be used by Warner Bros. to store and test its own asphalt.

Warner noted the addition of a testing lab for Warner Bros. will allow the company to sell its asphalt to the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT), which it has been unable to do in the past because the asphalt had to be tested elsewhere.

“It’ll be our storage, primarily, and Warner Bros. will have their own partition for their DOT testing lab,” Warner said. “I think what they’re looking to do is make this DOT-compliant. The testing has to be done where the blacktop is made.”

Warner said the construction of the new storage building should not cause any burden on the neighboring area as it is a “small-batch plant,” and this project would simply streamline the storage and testing process.

“It can’t produce any more than it already does,” he said.

ZBA Chairman Steve Krol said the application warranted a “pretty straightforward determination” as Delta Sand and Gravel is simply looking to “consolidate some storage and testing.”

“This has been a longtime gravel excavation operation,” Krol said. “I see this at worst, being neutral, maybe slightly positive” for the neighborhood and community.

With little other discussion, the ZBA unanimously approved the special permit for Delta Sand and Gravel to proceed with the new storage building.

Warner said the two original structures are still standing and he doesn’t have a concrete date for construction, considering skyrocketing material and labor costs.

“We’re hoping to break ground at the end of the year,” Warner said. “Right now, everything’s up in the air.”