A Holyoke City Council committee on Monday recommended sending a special permit for a muffler-and-welding business at 54 Commercial Street to the full City Council for approval.

The recommendation follows a public hearing in which applicant Marcel Gavel described plans to operate a muffler repair and welding shop in an existing commercial space. "My name is Marcel Gavel... my business is located at 54 Commercial Street, Holyoke. And I would like to operate a muffler slash welding business there, as the previous owner did," Gavel told the committee.

The committee said the proposed use falls within the zoning for the site and heard details about operations, parking and safety. Gavel said hours would be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, that all vehicles would be brought inside and stored inside, and that he would not perform engine work. He also said he uses a waste-oil heater and transfers oil from large containers at a neighboring business rather than storing large quantities on-site.

Committee members asked planning and engineering questions included in a planning department memorandum. Committee members confirmed there are no floor drains inside the building, no new outdoor storage proposed, no above-ground oil storage on the site that would trigger secondary-containment rules, and that existing signage and the site layout were acceptable.

The committee added specific conditions to the special permit before recommending it to the full council: hours of operation (listed above), no engine work, all vehicles stored inside, no overnight parking, and no hazardous-waste storage on-site. A committee member summarized the conditions as: "hours, 8 to 5 Monday through Saturday; no engine work; that all vehicles will be stored inside; no overnight parking; and no hazardous waste storage." The committee voted to approve the permit recommendation; the item will be placed on the City Council agenda for final action.

The committee opened and closed the public hearing as part of the permit review and heard no speakers from the public who opposed the application during the hearing record.

If the full council approves the permit after committee recommendation, the applicant was advised about the standard post-approval steps and an appeal period before local permits can be obtained from the city clerk's office.

The committee also noted that the applicant intends to maintain all work and parts inside the building and that there is no overnight vehicle parking or outside storage planned.

Marcel Gavel, who said he trained as a welder and currently works at Industrial Steel and Boiler in Chicopee, told the committee he purchased the business from a long-time owner who had a stroke and left equipment on site.

The committee's recommendation does not itself authorize a permit; that decision rests with the full City Council.