Wayne planning board approves RJ Chapman—s auto body shop with conditions on used-car display

The Town of Wayne Planning Board voted April 17 to approve RJ Chapman—s application to operate an auto body repair shop that will also sell used vehicles, with conditions limiting exterior vehicle display to a maximum of eight cars and requiring screening by shrubbery or fencing.

The public hearing and board discussion established the conditions before the vote. The board asked the applicant about vehicle counts and site screening; the applicant confirmed the number of display vehicles had been changed from six to eight and said the family planned to use shrubbery for screening because of aesthetics. "I think everything went pretty well. ... Looking to get into used auto sales a little bit. And also body shop repair facility, to help support and demand the town a little better," the applicant said during the board discussion.

Board members also questioned hazardous-waste handling procedures. The applicant said waste oil would be taken to a shop in Reedfield that uses a waste-oil furnace and that other chemicals would be taken to a facility called Riverside in Portland; he said he was looking for a closer option in Lewiston. He said that on-site storage would be inside the garage and, if needed, temporarily in a trailer outside, and that he understood state rules on approved containers and labeling.

After a short public hearing the board moved to approve the application with the terms discussed. A motion to approve the application with a maximum of eight vehicles on-site and a requirement that the outdoor area be screened by either shrubs or fencing passed without further recorded conditions.

The approval is limited to the conditions announced at the meeting; the board did not record a roll-call vote tally in the transcript. The applicant was thanked and the hearing closed.