Allendale Shopping Center bus stop relocated after crime complaints, disrupts travel routes | Central Berkshires

PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority relocated its Allendale Shopping Center bus stop on Jan. 20, citing complaints from the property owners that bus riders had contributed to increased drug use and shoplifting on the premises.

But while the new stop at Crane Avenue is barely 300 feet away from its initial location, the change has significantly disrupted the four bus routes that used to depend on access to the shopping center — causing some to question whether allegations of heightened criminal behavior are substantial enough to justify the shift.

“I don’t think all of our bus passengers are causing all the ruckus that’s described,” said Benjamin Hansen, operations manager for BRTA. However, he added, “I do feel that a couple of bad apples may have cost this stop for the vast majority.”

Glenn Langenback, the Allendale Shopping Center’s property manager, did not respond to requests for comment.

In addition to moving the stop, further adjustments had to be made to ensure BRTA buses no longer travel through the shopping center’s parking lot at all. All four routes that trafficked at the former stop must now pick up riders at additional points throughout the Coltsville neighborhood, complicating what used to be a much simpler entry point to Pittsfield’s primary retail center.

The Allendale Shopping Center stop serves four BRTA bus routes: Route 1 (Pittsfield-North Adams), Route 4 (Pittsfield-Dalton-Hinsdale) and routes 12 and 14 (Pittsfield Southeast Loop), which cover the same route in opposite directions. Route 1 is one of the most popular bus routes in the county.

“We have a lot of routes that meet there at the same time,” Hansen said. The longtime Allendale Shopping Center stop, which used to be located just outside of Goodwill, “was very convenient for us,” he said.

Originally opened in 1955, the Allendale Shopping Center is currently owned by real estate company Phillips International. The center is home to a variety of stores and local restaurants, including Goodwill, Walgreens and a popular Aldi supermarket. The center also includes the Allendale Underground, which contains several below-ground stores and businesses.

Hansen said BRTA initially tried to compromise by moving the bus stop outside of the Walgreens on Dec. 31, placing it farther away from the Allendale Underground entrance to disincentivize loitering. But he said that the shopping center’s property manager requested that the stop be removed from the shopping center entirely after complaints continued.

BRTA ultimately complied with the request, moving the bus stop just outside the shopping center’s parking lot on Crane Avenue effective Jan. 20. The new stop is located on a sidewalk, farther away from shops and restaurants, and does not feature a shelter.

Considering the historic importance of the Allendale Shopping Center as a popular retail destination for shoppers and employees alike, as well as a key route transfer point, Hansen said he wished the stop could have stayed where it was.

“It’s a shame that suddenly it’s become an issue,” he said. “Very little has changed in the last few years. Nothing major has occurred where I can see.”

Capt. Matthew Hill of the Pittsfield Police Department said shoplifting isn’t uncommon in retail centers, and there have been occasional calls to the department from the Allendale Shopping Center reporting drug use or an unwanted person on the premises. However, he said there had been no noticeable increase in crime over the last few months.

“I didn’t see anything that stood out, or alarming enough that a bus company would eliminate their stop,” he said. The majority of calls in the last few months, he said, were marked as “unfounded” or “person left prior to police arrival.”

Several employees at businesses in the Allendale Underground said that they sometimes saw riders sheltering inside the underground area while they waited for buses to arrive at the original stop, which was located just outside of Goodwill.

Alex White, an employee at the Berkshire Running Center, said a belligerent shoplifter at the store a few months ago prompted workers to take extra caution. But generally, he said, there hadn’t been many problems in recent times outside of loitering and littering.

“I think it’s kind of a stereotype that people who take the bus don’t have the money to drive, so they’re more likely to steal,” he said. However, he said he supports the decision to move the bus stop, as he felt lingering groups of people near store entrances might unnerve potential customers.

Since the bus stop moved to Crane Avenue last month, White said he hadn’t noticed a significant increase or decrease in customer traffic. “I hope it doesn’t affect any other businesses,” he said.

“It’s a little less hectic in the parking lot without the buses,” said Jill Thomas, an employee at Hair Express and Day Spa. She said that she had previously witnessed problematic behaviors like indoor smoking, aggression and at least one incident of public intoxication at the Allendale Underground, and police had sometimes been called.

“I think a lot of it really had to do with the homeless people,” she said. But ultimately, “we really don’t have a problem with people. We try to be nice to everybody.”

Store employees at Goodwill and Walgreens declined to comment.

The bus stop changes have alarmed Susan Pietrowsky, a bus rider who worries that the scattered stops will require pedestrians to navigate busy intersections and place themselves at risk.

“I was shocked at the change,” said Pietrowsky, who described herself as an occasional traveler on Route 1. “It was a good, solid bus route. It got you where you needed to go.” And in Coltsville, “there’s a lot going on there that’s already not pedestrian-friendly.”

She added that she felt any criminal activity, including substance abuse, at Allendale Shopping Center could be confronted through other means. “Were there to be incidents like this at Allendale, there are plenty of remedies to address this,” she said.

Looking forward, Hansen said he hopes that BRTA can one day resume service on the Allendale Shopping Center property.

“I do hope it can be resolved,” he said. “We’ve been there for a very long time. We’ve never had any sort of complaint in the past.”