Wayne planning board finds home-based auto sales and repair application complete; public hearing to be scheduled

Robert Chapman, who said he goes by RJ, asked the Town of Wayne Planning Board on March 20 to expand his home-based auto business to include a small auto sales and light body-repair operation at his residence. Planning board members voted to find the application complete and to schedule a public hearing at a future meeting where the board will take a final vote.

The application seeks conditional use approval for vehicle sales and limited bodywork in an R-1 residential district. Chapman told the board he has run automotive work from his garage since September 2020 under a home-occupancy permit and that state licensing requires a dealer to sell at least five vehicles a year; he said he expects to sell about five to 10 cars annually. “I go by RJ,” Chapman told the board. “I’m only gonna try to sell a car 2 at a time.”

Board members focused on neighborhood impacts and enforceable conditions. They discussed a vehicle-count limit, screening between Chapman’s display/storage area and neighbors (a fence or evergreen landscaping), disposal and recycling plans for hazardous wastes from repairs, and required state approvals such as dealer licensing and any Maine Department of Transportation permits for curb cuts or traffic issues. One planning board member said disposal of automotive chemicals and paint-related wastes must be handled off-site at an appropriate recycling or disposal facility.

The board and Chapman discussed specifics the application should contain or clarify. Chapman provided a site sketch and told the board his lot is large and that he planned to keep display and customer vehicles to one side of the driveway. The board suggested a condition setting a hard maximum on the number of on-site business vehicles to aid enforcement; Chapman agreed to a limit of eight vehicles if the board chose to set a number. The board noted personal family vehicles would not be counted as business inventory if a numerical limit is imposed.

Planning staff read the required submittals and confirmed most items were present, but members asked Chapman to provide documentation for off-site hazardous-waste handling and to indicate whether deed restrictions exist (staff explained the town asks for a deed to prove ownership but does not research private deed restrictions). The board also advised Chapman that separate state requirements for a licensed sales facility — such as building heating, minimum advertised business hours and other licensing conditions — are enforced by state agencies and would be Chapman’s responsibility.

After a roll call and brief procedural discussion, a motion to find the application complete was made and approved. Planning staff said the next step is to notify abutters and schedule the public hearing; Chapman was told he will also need any local building or site permits after approvals and must pursue applicable state registrations.

The board closed the agenda item by asking staff to ensure the application record documents the agreed clarifications and the planned public-notice steps.