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Lowell ZBA approves indoor car sales at 15 Garnett St., grants variances and driveway permits; continues one petition
Summary
At its Nov. 5 meeting, the Lowell City Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special permit allowing indoor car sales at 15 Garnett St. with conditions, granted variances for an ADU and storage tent at 14 Staveley St., approved multiple driveway/curb‑cut requests with environmental conditions, and continued a microblading petition to Dec. 8.
The Lowell City Zoning Board of Appeals met Nov. 5 and took action on a mix of continuances, special permits and variances for properties across the city.
The board continued ZBA‑2025‑41, a petition by Tuan Pham to operate a microblading and cosmetic body‑art business at 12 Wood Street, after staff said a required legal advertisement did not run. Member McCarthy moved to continue the hearing to Dec. 8; the motion carried on a roll call vote.
The board approved a special permit for ZBA‑2025‑42, allowing indoor car sales at the existing auto repair shop at 15 Garnett Street. Applicant Alfonso Tejeda told the board he is "renting a garage, and I'm just trying to get a dealer's license so I'm able to do indoor sales," and said he can lease off‑site spaces at 20 Peyton Street and operate most sales by appointment. The board approved the permit with two conditions: no vehicle storage or parking on Garnett Street and a six‑month administrative review to monitor impacts. Member McCarthy made the motion; Member Briere seconded.
Board members pressed the applicant for operational details and site measurements. Several members and planning staff raised concerns about the lack of a formal business plan and the dimensions of the four garage bays; city staff supplied a reference building layout indicating bays roughly 11–12 feet wide and about 30 feet deep. Tejeda said he expects to store roughly four vehicles on site and use the leased lot for overflow.
Separately, the board granted variances for ZBA‑2025‑43 at 14 Staveley Street to permit a third‑story addition that will include an interior accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and to legalize a front‑yard fabric storage canopy and a shed that encroach on setbacks. Attorney John Geary, representing applicants Jake Luongo and Chloe Cameron, said the addition will allow Luongo’s father to live in the ADU; engineer Bruce Ringwall reviewed setbacks and measurements. The board approved the relief with a condition limiting the existing canopy to a fabric storage tent rather than a permanent structure.
The board also approved several curb‑cut and driveway variances. At 120 Mount Vernon Street (ZBA‑2025‑44), owner Celio de Camargo won permission for a second driveway for a four‑unit property on the condition that the pavement be permeable pavers, the applicant maintain a three‑foot landscaped side setback, and the driveway be a maximum of 9 feet in width; the applicant agreed. At 77 West 6th Street (ZBA‑2025‑46), the board approved a second driveway with conditions that include permeable pavers, a corner shade tree if approved by the city traffic engineer, and compliance with engineering and water‑department requirements.
The board approved the October 27 meeting minutes and adjourned.
What happens next: ZBA‑2025‑41 (12 Wood Street) was continued to Dec. 8 to allow proper legal notice to run; the other approvals are subject to the conditions the board attached, including the six‑month administrative review for 15 Garnett Street.
