The Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously voted on Wednesday, March 28, to end public hearings and begin the approval process for Walmart's move to a new location on Tobey Road in West Wareham.

The vote came during a joint Zoning Board and Planning Board meeting. Walmart has been meeting with the two boards for more than a year to discuss a move from the store's East Wareham location on Cranberry Highway to a 152,000 square foot store at the corner of Tobey Road and Cranberry Highway in West Wareham.

The Zoning Board stipulated in its March 28 vote that the approval would be dependent on Walmart satisfying various conditions that both the Zoning and Planning boards require.

One of those conditions is that a traffic review be completed one year after the move.

"We'll look at the traffic and see if it's working properly," said Planning Board Chair George Barrett.

Traffic on Cranberry Highway has been an hotly debated issue during the public hearings, with residents of the Great Hill Estates mobile home park, located on Cranberry Highway close to Walmart's proposed location, expressing concern that the increased traffic from the store's move would make turning onto the highway from the park's entrance very difficult.

"It's all about the safety, the ability of us to get out of our driveway," said Sheila Monaghan, vice president of the Great Hill Estates Association, during a joint hearing of the two boards on March 8.

Neither Great Hill Estate residents nor general members of the community made comments during the March 28 hearing.

The Zoning Board of Appeals now has 90 days to file a finalized agreement with the Town Clerk, according to town attorney Mark Bobrowski of Blatman, Bobrowski & Mead.

During the 90 days, Bobrowski, who will be drafting the agreement, will consult with the necessary experts and members of the Zoning Board to ensure that the finalized document is legal, up to the town's standards, and meets the conditions of the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board.