Key Bank withdrew its application for a drive-up automatic teller machine Tuesday afternoon when it appeared likely the planning board would give the project a positive declaration and trigger the completion of an environmental impact statement.

Ned Walker, who represented the bank during the planning board's review of the proposal, told the board he had been instructed to withdraw the application by Key Bank's Tom Adams, who also attended the meeting.

Walker told the board that is was apparent they were fighting an uphill battle with the plan.

To complete an environmental impact statement would have put everyone through six months of time and expense, he said.

Planning board chairman Paul Kuhn thanked Walker and the bank for working with the board, but said the corner of Chestnut and Beaver Streets was the "worst possible site" for the ATM.

"You're saving us all a lot of extra work," he said.

During the board's last meeting, members asked the bank to consider changing their plan from a drive-up to a walk-up ATM. But the bank declined to make the change saying it would not allow them to achieve their primary goal of providing local customers with a safe and convenient remote ATM location.

That decision by the bank triggered a return to the environmental review of the project which had been halted temporarily.

The board had left unanswered questions about the plan's impact on transportation and the residential character of the adjoining neighborhood in regard to lighting, noise and odor.

The bank had offered to modify its hours of operation to mitigate concerns about noise and lighting. It also offered to increase the number and size of trees that would be planted to act as a buffer between the site and neighboring properties.

Walker said the bank would also look at eliminating one driveway, however, Kuhn said mitigation seemed unlikely because of the physical constraints of the site.

But in the end, the bank's concessions were not enough to convince the board that the potential impacts could be reduced to an acceptable level.

As the board tried to reach a conclusion about the environmental review, it became evident that members were leaning toward a positive declaration which would require the completion of the full environmental impact statement.

Before the decision was made, however, the bank pulled its application.

Adams said following the meeting that the bank may try to find a different location for the drive-up ATM.

"Whether we can or not is another question," he said.