North Adams Planners Nix Expansion of Car Sales
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Car lots have been a particular thorn in the city's side for years because of a pattern of violations, said board members.
"We have been through this time and time and time again," said board Chairman Michael Leary. "Car dealers in this city come in here and make promise after promise after promise saying they're going to have X number of cars and then there's five times the number of cars they're permitted."
And in both cases before the board Monday, the owners were not in compliance to begin with, he said.
William Bump of West End Auto Sales objected, saying he was trying to meet conditons. Bump had asked to increase the number of vehicles on his lot to 36, more than double what the board had authorized.
But Building Inspector William Meranti said Bump had not completed certain conditions put on the property by the board, including installing a new sign, repairing certain elements of the old sign and taking down a car rental sign.
Bump was angry that Meranti hadn't stopped to talk to him during his swing through the city to review sites on Monday's agenda. "You could have stopped and talked to me," he said. "Isn't that just common sense?"
"Isn't common sense for you to be in compliance with your permit?" responded Leary.
Meranti and Jay Green, the city's administrative officer, urged Bump to get in touch with them if ran into any troubles.
"I'm trying to run a business here, a business that helps support this community," said Bump. He assured the board that the new sign was to be delivered soon.
Leary told Bump he could not consider changing the conditions on the business when he wasn't in compliance with conditions that been set just a month ago.
Meranti told Bump that if he was in compliance when he came back before the board, the board would "act reasonably" with him.
The same went for Mohawk Auto Sales, which had submitted a letter to the board. No one was in attendance to represent the car lot; the letter was submitted by Alan Horbal.
There was confusion over who was operating three businesses at the the Curran Highway site: a used-car lot, a garage and a towing service.
The individual running the auto repair business was apparently no longer there, which led to the question of whether the garage was still in operation. The permits for the towing and sales were in another name. Horbal's name was not on any of the permits.
"After years of being out of compliance, he would like this board to legitimize his noncompliance," said Leary. "We have said it again and again — if you are not in compliance with existing permits, don't ask us to change them."
Both communications were filed for further review. A letter was to be sent to Horbal to inform he was in noncompliance.
In other business, the board:
