A former project sought special permits from the Chelmsford Planning Board to place two drivethrus at the Chelmsford Mall, 265 Chelmsford St, also known locally as the Kohl’s Plaza. As of December 2025, the developer withdrew the project from consideration.

Thank you to residents who voiced concerns about this project and got involved. As there have historically been multiple proposals to develop these upper parking lots, we may see this idea arise again in the future. Hopefully, any future plans to develop the Chelmsford Mall will take Westlands residents into account in a way that adds actual value to the neighborhood without threatening to overwhelm traffic worse than it already is.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words:

The above image shows the main entrance off Rt-110 to the Chelmsford Mall. The plan was to get rid of the barely-used upper parking decks and add a drivethru on both sides of this main entryway. Obviously, the photo shows what a traffic disaster navigating the main entrance to the Chelmsford Mall would have become, let alone the impact of all these other vehicles driving to and from the Mall.

The original plan was to add two fast food drivethrus to the Chelmsford Mall, potentially a coffee shop like Starbucks and another “fast casual” restaurant speculated to be a Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, or something along those lines. As of fall 2025 the plan was changed to swap the small restaurant pad modeled as a Starbucks out for a credit union with a drivethru, and keep the larger fast food restaurant pad with the double drivethru on the right.

Residents voiced a number of negative impacts that this development would inflict on Chelmsford and Westlands residents, including:

• Traffic
  • Traffic on Rt-110 is already saturated; adding an estimated 20% additional daily vehicle trips on this road (per the traffic study) will increase travel times exponentially. Residents are concerned the traffic study actually understates the true impact to traffic and increased waiting times at local intersections.
  • Cut through traffic to residential streets was not addressed in the traffic study. Residents expressed concerns about Seneca Ave, Sunset Ave, Sylvan Ave, Dalton Rd, Westland Ave, Delwood Rd and more as these streets see considerable cut through traffic at peak times. The cut through cars often speed and pose a hazard to residents, pets, and children.
  • Concerns were expressed about the lines from the drivethrus spilling onto Rt-110 or causing accidents in the entrance to the Chelmsford Mall.
• Health and safety
  • Potential for rats and cockroaches generated by fast food establishments, that will then invade nearby homes.
  • Increase to crime, drug deals, and nuisance behavior occurring in the far rear corner of the parking lot, for which Manahan St residents have called Chelmsford Police many times in the past.
  • Garbage thrown out the windows of vehicles, piling up on Chelmsford streets. Did you know that research suggests litter distribution forms “concentric rings” around fast food outlets? The highest concentration is near the restaurant, with a second ring further out along main roads, possibly due to individuals discarding trash from vehicles. This development will almost certainly cause a significant impact in visible litter around Chelmsford. Will Winstanley Enterprises pay to clean up our roads?
• Impact to local businesses
  • A Starbucks, although no deals are official, was one of the businesses explored by the developer. Residents expressed concern for impact to local coffee shops, and stated the tax revenue generated by these businesses would be negligible compared to the costs to the community.
• Devaluation of our town’s character
  • “Fast casual” (really, fast food) restaurants do not add value to Chelmsford. Cars will exit from Rt-3 and I-495 to visit the drivethrus, cause traffic and leave garbage in Chelmsford, then immediately leave. Winstanley Enterprises will accrue all benefits from this development, while bearing none of the negative externalities.
  • The vast majority of residents this has been brought to the attention of are strongly opposed to building drivethrus at the Chelmsford Mall. Why would we add fast food restaurants that nearly no residents are interested in to one of the busiest areas of our town? There has to be a middle ground to developing this empty parking lot at the Chelmsford Mall that is not so disruptive to residents.

December 2024: The Chelmsford Mall was purchased in an off-market deal for $28 million by Winstanley Enterprises of Concord, MA, and Surrey Equities of New Jersey.

April 9, 2025: Winstanley Enterprises approaches the Chelmsford Planning Board for an “informal concept discussion” of redeveloping 265 Chelmsford St to include two drivethru “fast casual” restaurants. YouTube link to discussion, from 11:18 to 1:29:50.

July 9, 2025: Winstanley returns to the Chelmsford Planning Board after contracting a traffic study and continuing to develop site plans, looking to pursue approval of the special permits. Over a dozen Westlands residents attended the meeting to voice concerns over the project. The Board requested a peer review of the traffic study be performed. YouTube link to discussion, from 1:28:45 to close.

August-November 2025: Continued discussions on the Chelmsford Mall planned each month were continually delayed and pushed to the next month.

December 2025: The developer withdrew the project from consideration.

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Here is the template for the yard signs that neighbors put out to spread the word. Signs were printed at a local business, “Accent Printing USA” in Brick Kiln Plaza in Billerica: 99 Chelmsford Rd #13, Billerica MA 01862. The door is around the back of the building. Their email: ChelmsfordMA@signarama.com. Their phone: (978) 362-8038. They are open Mon-Fri, 9-4:30.

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