Applicant for Check Valet at 110 Northampton Ave. closes public comment; board moves application to decision phase

The Zoning Board took testimony on a special-permit application from Check Valet to operate valet parking at 110 Northampton Ave. The applicant described current operations, staffing levels, proposed hours and circulation plans and said the business would primarily use its own staff to park vehicles rather than rely on public drivers.

Why it matters: The request is for a special permit in a D-2 Business Zone and would change the permitted commercial use of an existing property if the board approves. The hearing focused on operational details that affect public safety and traffic flow: employee staging and radio communications, use of a nearby municipal lot, driveway access and potential exit routing near a municipal parcel used by the fire department.

Applicant representative and operator Michael Monahan (identified in the hearing) said the business operates via a mobile app and has eight employees presently, with plans to expand. He told the board his staff stages cars and radios movements to reduce stacking on streets; he also said his lease allows operation seven days a week but current operations are focused on dinner service and peak nights. Monahan told the board he cleans debris left by patrons and that employees use bathroom facilities in his upstairs apartment.

Board members asked practical questions about access and egress, how many cars would be moved into and out of the municipal lot to the south of the site, and whether an exit through the rear municipal area (near the fire department) could be gated or otherwise managed; board members said any use of the municipal lot or reconfigured access would require input from the fire department and possibly the town’s parks or public-works departments. The board also discussed whether the applicant could expand use of 100 Northampton, which is zoned for professional offices, and noted that the applicant would have to demonstrate control of any additional parcel to use it for valet operations.

After public comment closed, the board voted to close the hearing and move the application into the decision phase. A motion to close the application and proceed to decision was made by Mr. Stein, seconded by Mr. Salazar, and carried on an aye vote; the transcript does not record a later decision or permit approval for this item within the provided excerpt.

What happens next: The application was placed in the board’s decision calendar; the transcript does not include a final vote or written decision on the special permit for Check Valet within the supplied record. The board and applicant may need follow-up on driveway access, any required fire-department approvals, and whether municipal-lot access is permitted.