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Letters to Agencies
License Commission — Metropolitan Life / Idenix
Chemical storage
Dear License Commission members:
I ask you not to approve the Metropolitan Life application for increased chemical storage at its property at the junction of Market Street and Clark Street. As you know, the City Council has asked for information concerning chemical storage issues in general, issues that would be applicable to Metropolitan Live application and which I feel would be useful for the Commission, the Council and the general public to have as part of this particular application discussion. If you feel you must make a decision at this hearing, I ask that you deny the application.
Some relevant issues include:
1. Whether the expansion of chemical storage at this site is an expansion of use of such a magnitude that there is actually a change of use to manufacturing, rather than the permitted lab space of the O1 zoning. If it is, in fact, a manufacturing use, its proximity to residential buildings may violate what I understand to be the City's 50' spacing requirement. Other permits may also be required, which might kick in different level of reviews for things such as the air handling equipment.
2. Noise from increased ventilation systems associated with both the manufacturing and chemical storage components of the facility. At this point, I understand that noise from Idenix's operations is already in violation of the Cambridge noise ordinance.
3. The dangers presented by increasing storage of hazardous chemicals adjacent to a largely residential area. The human mistakes that led to the Danvers explosion seem very relevant here. As I understand it, Idenix cannot consistently close its blinds at night as agreed to (having been by at night, I know they don't always close the blinds, but I'm not sure what the exact agreement was). There is no reason to think that more dangerous operations involving hazardous chemical management would not be similarly imperfectly carried out.
4. Vapors from the venting system may be putting harmful chemicals into the adjacent residential area, streets and, during warmer months, actually into neighboring houses.
5. Delivery and pickup procedures at Idenix are already problematic, with trucks going up on the sidewalk, blocking streets, taking limbs off of trees and so forth. Will increased storage mean increased pickup or delivery issues? Although the City marked out 40' of Market Street for a loading dock, the streets are not set up so the loading dock can be effectively used by the large delivery trucks visiting Idenix.
6. Deliveries apparently already occur in the early morning hours, as early as 5:30 AM, with associated disruptive noise.
7. The future storage room is said not to be explosion proof and to only have a four hour burn through time.
8. Has Idenix already been granted a permit from the Fire Department and, if so, has Idenix already expanded its chemical storage capabilities in advance of getting the required permit?
From my view, some of these issues seem to be insurmountable, all the more so after the Danvers explosion, something which would most likely be deadly were it to happen here. Nonetheless, I look forward to having the Commission address these concerns during the hearing. Once again, I hope you will not come to a decision on this application until the City Council has received an answer to its questions. If you must decide, I hope you deny the application.
Please feel free to contact me at 617-354-8353 with any questions you might have about this communication.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely, Craig Kelley
6 St. Gerard Terrace Cambridge, MA 02140
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