ZBA removes weekend storage restriction for Cavallo's Towing; 24/7 stow approved

Attorney Gregory Brilliant represented Cavallo’s Tire and Auto Center at 410 Second Street and asked the Zoning Board of Appeals on April 17 to remove a condition placed on an earlier variance (2014) that restricted the location’s towing/storage activity to Monday–Saturday and late evening hours.

Brilliant told the board that owner Paulo Cavallo had acquired the property four years earlier, renovated it and had been added to the city’s towing rotation. He said the existing condition effectively required any vehicle obtained on a Sunday to remain on the tow truck until Monday morning; removal of the condition would let the operator place towed vehicles on the fenced and locked storage area at any hour when necessary.

Board members and staff discussed safeguards typically used for stowed vehicles—including fencing, locking and screening—and reiterated the board’s ability to impose or retain other conditions aimed at preventing a property from becoming an unregulated storage yard. The applicant emphasized that the fenced storage area is secure and that the site has six on-site spaces inside the building and a locked compound.

After brief public input (no opposition speakers appeared), the board voted unanimously to remove the time restriction condition and allow vehicles to be stored on the property when required by the tow rotation. The board noted that other previously imposed conditions remain in effect and that the building inspector and police will continue to enforce issues such as long-term derelict vehicles and compliance with public-safety rules.

The motion was approved by a 5–0 vote; board members said they expected the site to remain subject to ordinary enforcement tools should long-term storage or junking become an issue.