Planning Board Approves WF Young Expansion, Issues 30-Day Warning to Happy Acres Developer

EAST LONGMEADOW -- April 7, 2026, East Longmeadow Planning Board approves 7,600-square-foot WF Young expansion and puts Happy Acres subdivision on notice. The board unanimously approved a site plan waiver for WF Young Inc. at 302 Benton Drive, allowing a 7,600-square-foot addition to the company's existing 13,250-square-foot facility, with waivers granted for parking and a traffic study after the applicant demonstrated that 70 proposed spaces comfortably served its workforce of 40 employees, 12 of them permanently remote. The board also approved a three-story commercial building amendment at 95 Shaker Road for applicant Stephen Graham, adding conditions for one-way traffic flow, signage at each curbcut, and 45-degree angled parking spaces to be reviewed by Planning Director Rob Wood before final clearance. In the most pointed action of the night, the board voted to authorize Wood to send a certified compliance letter to the Happy Acres subdivision owner, giving 30 days from receipt to fix documented damage to curbing, storm drains clogged with sediment and debris, and punctured silt sacks draining into wetland resource areas, with potential subdivision hearing reopening and a freeze on lot sales if violations persist. The board set a six-month deadline of October 2026 to produce a draft town center zoning bylaw, with the next deep-dive discussion scheduled for April 21.