Neighbors raise noise, safety and smoke concerns at hearing for Master Spray Foam permit; council refers to zoning

The City Council called a public hearing on a special permit application by Master Spray Foam Insulation to change the nonconforming use at 870 Broadway to a contractor storage yard. The hearing drew detailed opposition from a neighbor who described years of late‑night deliveries, early‑morning noise and visible emissions; councilors asked for inspections and agreed to refer the application to the zoning subcommittee for conditions and further review.

Joseph Kattore (attorney for the petitioner) described the proposed change of use as a “lesser use” than the property’s existing commercial garage and said the petitioner sought permission to store three vans and three box trucks overnight on site. Kattore told the council there would be no renovations and “no business conducted on‑site other than the morning supplies of the trucks,” and that no heavy construction equipment or additional materials would be stored there.

A resident who identified himself as Joe Gupta of 6 Fisk Street opposed the application and provided photographs to the clerk. Gupta said the site had been used as a storage yard for seven years and described repeated early‑morning activity: “I wake up to the sounds of these guys loading their trucks, and it's gotten to the point where I do call, and I do ask for a noise abatement from the city... at 05:45 a.m. 2 cars pull in every morning... they start slamming around metal containers into the back of box trucks, and they do that until about 06:30 a.m.” He also said delivery trucks sometimes block Fifth Street and Broadway and that cars without license plates are being left on the lot. Gupta told the council the building appears to be in disrepair and said he had observed black smoke from an exhaust pipe: “twice a day there is black smoke pouring out of that exhaust pipe.” Gupta asked the council not to approve the permit until the additional vehicles were removed and the condition of the building addressed.

Councilor Calleandro read proposed conditions that had been circulated for the special permit: no renovations required or requested to the existing building; overnight parking limited to six vehicles (three vans and three box trucks) owned by the petitioner; no heavy equipment or construction materials stored on site; no on‑site sales or customer traffic; hours of operation stated as 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and a prohibition on parking the company’s work vehicles on side streets. Calleandro and other councilors said the council would seek inspections by the building inspector, the board of health, and fire prevention to check structural soundness, emissions and hazards.

Councilors and the petitioner agreed it would be appropriate to obtain inspection reports and to discuss conditions at the zoning subcommittee. The council ordered the public hearing and referred the application to the zoning subcommittee for further review and specific permit conditions.