Planning Board members said Monday night they would reject a proposed CVS pharmacy, unless developers drastically reduce the project’s scope.

“It’s clear there’s an enormous conflict between the standards and needs of the town and the standards and needs of the corporation,” Planning Board member Robert Lane said. “I certainly hope the applicant takes into consideration that some of these conflicts are unbridgeable.”

Held in the Music Hall, the Planning Board meeting attracted approximately 150 residents who opposed the project almost unanimously.

Development firm Mark Investments LLC representative Dean Holt said the overwhelming opposition caught the legal and design professionals unaware.

“There’s so many comments. I’m not sure where to start,” Holt said. “It wasn’t obvious to us the sensitivity and the significance of this project as expressed by the board and the people here.”

Developers first unveiled plans to construct a 14,600-square-foot pharmacy and store with a drive-thru at the intersection of Route 6 and Front Street on Sept 2. To accommodate the store, the 3,900-square-foot historic Captain Hadley House would be moved to a lot adjacent to Saltonstall Architects at 380 Wareham Road.

Initial plans featured a standard store design that Planning Board members said was not a good architectural fit for Marion.

Instead of the blocky pharmacy first proposed, architect Kevin Patton showed new plans on Monday that incorporated elements in-line with the town’s historic nature, such as dormers, white cedar shingles and cottage-style windows.

However, the building’s size remained the same. Chair Stephen Kokkins said that posed an issue.

Holt said reducing the building’s size wasn’t possible. CVS does have plans for stores that are about 12,000 square feet, but those typically aren’t as profitable as the larger ones.

Kokkins singled out two recent commercial projects on Route 6, Dunkin’ Donuts and Cumberland Farms. The Dunkin’ Donuts is a 2,600-square-foot building on a 58,000-square-foot lot, Kokkins said. The building takes up less than five percent of the lot area and generally there are no problems on the site.

Cumberland Farms is a 3,700-square-foot building on a 36,400-square-foot lot and the building’s footprint takes up 10 percent of the lot. The traffic issues caused by that are well documented, Kokkins said.

For the CVS project to be viable in regards to traffic, Kokkins said the plans should require a 5,500-square-foot store on the 1.78-acre site, less than half of what is currently proposed.

To ensure there aren’t adverse effects in the town from traffic, Kokkins said the board may compel the applicants to hire consultants at the board’s request.

“This could be an enormous cost that might reach into the six figures,” Kokkins said. “There are large gaps in what’s needed in Marion and what is currently being offered. I personally see very little chance of approving an application at this time.”

Planning Board member Norm Hills said the current project, if approved without changes: “Is effectively putting the Hiller Dodge building on the same lot, if you want some perspective on size.”

Developers estimated that the new store would attract between 500 to 600 customers daily.

Board members said that volume of customers would likely impact traffic.

Consultant Robert Michaud of the Marlborough-based MDM Transportation Consultants, Inc. explained that research shows that generally half of the pharmacy’s customers would be from motorists passing by the store during their normal routine. He said an increase in local traffic would be minimal.

Planning Board member Steve Gonsalves disagreed.

As a nine-year veteran of the board, Gonsalves said he’s been through this process with Dunkin' Donuts and Cumberland Farms. Delivery trucks and vehicles hauling boat trailers often make it hard to maneuver at Cumberland Farms, especially in the busy summer season.

He said that was an unintended consequence of approving the gas station/convenience store.

“In a perfect world, what you’re saying would happen doesn’t happen,” Gonsalves said. “It’s a nightmare in the morning; it’s a nightmare in the afternoon. I understand you have these scenarios. I have yet to see them work.”

Planning Board member Eileen Marum received applause after pointing out that news reports in August confirmed CVS officials considered moving the company’s Rhode Island headquarters overseas to avoid high taxes.

“To contemplate that move to avoid taxation makes a business a model for stinginess and greed, and it would not make a good neighbor by Marion standards,” Marum said. “It’s a giant drugstore that will permanently disfigure the gateway to Route 6.”

While the location of the proposed CVS was universally panned, a handful of residents and Planning Board members said the project shouldn’t be dismissed outright.

Board member Rico Ferrari asked residents to consider the term “historic character,” which had been mentioned repeatedly throughout the two-hour plus meeting.

He described a number of buildings on Route 6, including an abandoned gas station, as “dilapidated” and one building across the street from the Captain Hadley house as an “architectural chicken coop.”

“[The CVS] building has more character than anything on the street,” Ferrari said. “I’m not saying we put it there, but it looks a lot better than a lot of the buildings we have now.”

Resident Chris Collins agreed.

“I think we could all enjoy and take advantage of the quality services offered at CVS,” Collins said. “I personally don’t believe the site is correct…Let’s not pave paradise here. CVS, please bear with us as we help you learn what we want.”