Date

4/02/08

Zone change for south-side of Margaret Street.

Currently there is a vacant lot which fronts on Margaret Street and East Columbus Avenue. The petitioner sought a zone change in order to put a parking lot on that vacant lot. Adjacent to it is a now empty building which has previously been used as a frame and picture shoppe/art gallery. It has been vacant for some time. The petitioner has purchased both the building and the vacant lot and intends to move his trucking brokerage business to the locations. I asked him at a previous meeting whether any trucks will be onsite. He responded that none would be. He also represented that significant facade improvements would be made to the building itself. He is relocating his business from Avocado Street to this relatively smaller space. I have seen the building and have observed only three to four parking spots at the current building. Clearly, a viable business operation requires more than that number of spots. I am happy that the petitioner is keeping his business in Springfield and see the creation of a parking lot on a now vacant lot as a positive development. The planning department endorsed the proposed zone change. I voted for it as did all of my colleagues.

4/28/08

A special permit for 712 and 722 Boston Road to sell used cars.

The petitioners sought a special permit to sell used cars at a 20,000 square foot property on Boston Road. Used cars have been sold at the location before under special permits specific to prior owners of the property. Past owners have been unsuccessful in maintaining their used car businesses at this location. However, these petitioners think that they will have more luck than past owners. The Planning Department recommended approval of the special permit application with conditions including a 40 vehicle limit. The Pine Point Community Council also recommended approval of the petition with an additional condition that plastic slats in a chain link fence around the front of the property be removed. The Community Council noted that in the past the slats effectively hid many code violations behind the fence. Its representative, Gloria DeFillipo, indicated that if the slats were removed, neighbors and code enforcement officials would be better able to track such code violations in the future. Ms. DeFillipo also indicated that if this planned used car lot did not succeed, the Community Council would be unlikely to support other special permit applications for used car lots at this location in the future. Rose Mazza-Moriarty made a motion to add a condition to the special permit consistent with that requested by Ms. DeFillipo and the Pine Point Community Council. That motion passed unanimously. A vote was then taken on the special permit and it passed unanimously as well. I voted for the special permit with conditions because it was supported by the neighborhood association and because I believe that the location of the proposed used car lot is appropriate for that sort of business.

Amendment to Omnipoint Holdings, Inc.'s

The petitioner, Omnipoint Holdings, Inc. is a division of T-Mobile. On October 2, 2006 it was granted a special permit to locate cell phone transmittal equipment on the roof of an apartment building at 192-196 White Street. That special permit allowed it to place computer equipment (known as BTS cabinets) on the apartment building’s roof. A subsequent review of the roof structure, however, revealed that the computer cabinets might be too heavy for the roof. Thus, the petitioner sought to amend the special permit to permit it to locate the computer cabinets on the ground adjacent to the building. I received telephone calls from a couple of neighborhood residents who had questions about the amendment. They raised concerns that the Forest Park Civic Association had not considered this special permit amendment. The council has a policy of requiring that special permit applicants first meet with neighborhood councils before appearing before the city council on their special permit application. Rose Mazza-Moriarty made a motion to table this particular application in order to permit Omnipoint Holdings, Inc. to formally contact the Forest Park Civic Association. That motion passed. Assuming that the Forest Park Civic Association voices no objection to the request to amend the existing special permit at 192-196 White Street, I anticipate that I will support such amendment when the applicant returns to the city council.