Council sends 78 West Street towing-and-storage permit back to zoning after neighbor safety, parking concerns

The City Council on Feb. 3 sent a proposed special permit for a towing and vehicle-storage business at 78 West Street back to the Zoning Committee for further review after residents and councilors raised concerns about congestion, safety and on-street parking.

The permit, filed by Cruise Control Transportation to operate towing and storage on a property that also contains an auto body shop, had drawn lengthy discussion during the zoning committee and at the council meeting. Neighbors described narrow streets, frequent on-street parking and the potential for the new operation to worsen conditions for city vehicles and local traffic.

Resident Jeremy Procon, who said he formerly worked in the neighborhood, called the proposed plan “blighted” for the block and said the layout did not clearly show space for tow trucks and flatbeds. Chuck Swider, who said he has run a towing business at the site for 42 years, urged the council to approve the application to preserve a longstanding local business.

John Boyer, assistant to the DPW superintendent, told the council the area is “a very tight neighborhood” and said on-street parking regularly interferes with municipal operations such as plowing. “When it comes for us to do our jobs getting our dump trucks down there to plow … that is a very tight area,” Boyer said.

At the Feb. 3 hearing, zoning committee members described a back-and-forth process with the applicant over the site plan and the number of off‑street spaces. The committee reported it had received a revised site plan showing 30 spaces for towing and storage; the rules cited by the committee require a minimum of 10 spaces in one distinct area of the site for towing and storage uses. The zoning committee recommendation included conditions such as compliance with fire-department requirements and completion of required lease signatures for the affected parcels.

Councilors pressed for clearer mechanisms to limit on-street spillover parking. Some, including Councilor Roy, suggested a local ordinance to add no-parking signs; others warned that restricting on-street parking could disproportionately affect residents who rely on curbside parking. Attorney Tim Riley said the council could add permit conditions requiring the business to keep operations on its own property, but that a separate ordinance would be needed for citywide on-street restrictions.

After debate, the council voted to refer the item back to the Zoning Committee for an additional public hearing to allow the applicant and city staff to address outstanding issues and to seek any needed clarifications. The zoning chair said the committee will attempt to schedule an earlier hearing if a quorum is available and if the applicant agrees to an extension of the statutory review period.

The council’s referral preserves the committee’s ability to impose conditions — and to recall the permit if required — but postpones a final decision while members seek more detail on parking, traffic management and signed lease documentation for the parcels involved.

Votes at the Feb. 3 meeting were recorded for the motion to send the item back to committee. The motion carried with multiple councilors voting in favor and a small number abstaining; the council clerk’s record shows the zoning committee had earlier voted 4–0–1 in favor with one abstention.