Marlborough city councilor questions downtown development efforts. What she's against

MARLBOROUGH — A recent decision by the City Council to allow a Mechanic Street automotive repair business to expand into an abutting lot has the lone councilor who opposed the proposal questioning how serious the city is in reimagining its downtown.

Professional Automotive, 19 Mechanic St., is seeking to add three additional mechanic bays and other elements at 13-15 Mechanic St., moves that would in theory increase business. The property eyed for expansion formerly housed a glass installation business, and was purchased by the auto repair business last year.

The area where the automotive shop currently sits was rezoned as the Marlborough Village District in 2014. Under existing bylaws, the use of an automotive-related business is not permitted by right.

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Ward 1 City Councilor Laura Wagner argues that allowing the expansion undermines efforts the city has made to try and rehabilitate downtown Marlborough.

“This business was allowed to continue because it was already there when we made the zoning (change), but what are we doing?” Wagner asked during an Urban Affairs Subcommittee meeting on Sept. 6. “We had this vision, we changed the zoning, but now we are saying in this case it's OK? It's going to substantially increase the business at this location, and I feel like it sends a mixed message to others who have invested in the downtown area, for the promise of what direction this area is going in, and then saying that it actually isn’t going to apply in this case.”

Subcommittee Chair Kathleen Robey responded that while the city did rezone the area, it reserves the right to review each potential application and make a decision on whether a proposal is a good fit.

“We did rezone the area, but with that comes that we can look at the property and if we don’t like what they want to do, we can say no, which we have done in the past,” Robey said. “(But) If we are OK with it, we have the ability to say that.”

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The five-member subcommittee recommended the application be approved by the City Council, with Wagner the lone dissenting vote. On Sept. 18, the full City Council voted 10-1 to approve the application, with Wagner again in opposition.

“I think it's a mistake to approve this," she said during the Sept. 18 council meeting. "Driving by tonight, the lot is full of cars, we are now adding three bays, this business is going to increase substantially. The glass repair place was not an automotive place, this is substantially different. It is at the head of Main Street, I think in light of the discussion tonight it speaks to the question of what we want from Main Street? We said no to automotive uses in the ordinance and here we are approving this expanded automotive business right at the beginning of Main Street.”

Even with City Council approval in hand, Professional Automotive's plans are still subject to site plan review. Business owner Rick Marino told the Daily News he does not envision opening the new addition until next year.

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Professional Automotive received strong support from its customers. During a public hearing back in July, about 75 past and present customers expressed support for the expansion.

“Professional Automotive has been a valued part of our community for almost 30 years," said James Griffin at the July public hearing. "I have been a very satisfied customer for most of that time and a French Hill neighbor for 28 years. They have made our building an attractive aspect of our city, and I now see that their new building would only add to that.”

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City officials also noted that more than 400 letters of support were submitted, calling on the council to approve the application.

Marino, who has owned Professional Automotive since 1994, told the Daily News in an interview on Sept. 20 that the operation is eager to expand, and that he's grateful for the support his customers have shown.

“We are pretty cramped into our location, we are looking to expand and we will be to make things a lot easier with the additional space,” he said. “There was just a lot of recognition from our community, who have noticed what we have been doing for our community for years. We have built a base of repeat clients and we have so much support.”

Zoning vs existing businesses

Wagner told the Daily News on Sept. 19 that she thinks it's important that established zoning laws create a uniform standard if the city is committed to a revitalized downtown. She cited places like Lost Shoe Brewing and the Marlborough Farmers Market as the downtown's future, and as reasons why the original zoning was passed in 2014.

“If we don’t follow these rules, then we end up with a mish-mash across the city and it doesn’t make sense,” Wagner said. “If we think about our vision of what we want downtown Marlborough to be, where there are these shops and restaurants and types of entertainment? That was the vision for what downtown is supposed to be like.”

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Wagner said that while it's clear Professional Automotive has many satisfied customers, zoning needs to operate by thinking about future use.

“When you set up a policy, you set up a policy without people in mind," she said. "You put a solid policy in place that is focused on the entity and not the person, because the person isn’t going to be there forever. The reality is, this business could be sold tomorrow, and another business could move in that is very different, they could be noisy and constantly making code violations.”

But Marino said that with the property being prime real estate, it's highly unlikely that any prospective buyer would not be willing to maintain a high standard.

“Even if we were going to sell — and I have no plans of doing that — the buyer would have to pay a high price for the property,” Marino said. “They would have to maintain the high standard that we have set here."

City Councilor John Irish, who represents Ward 5, which includes Professional Automotive, voted to support the permit.

"I think that Councilor Wagner raises a lot of good points, (but) in my personal opinion, the point of zoning is to find the best possible use for the land, and upon listening to the recommendation of the Urban Affairs Committee, I think that permitting Professional Automotive to expand is the best use," Irish told the Daily News. "I think the language that was put into the permit, such as specifically not permitting used cars for sale in the parking lot, was very helpful. (But) I also think it's great that Professional Automotive is going to be bringing the new property up to the standard of their existing building."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Marlborough council OKs car repair shop expansion plans despite zoning