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Woburn council approves transfer and expansion of used‑car license at 7 Harrison amid objections from former owner
Summary
After public objections and questions about chain-of-title, the Woburn City Council voted to grant Costigan Realty LLC a special permit and to transfer and amend a second‑class motor‑vehicle license from 5 to 19 vehicles for 7 Harrison Ave, with conditions on hours and on-site work.
The Woburn City Council voted Aug. 20 to approve a special permit and the transfer and amendment of a second‑class motor‑vehicle license allowing E and C Auto Brokers, owned by Chris Costigan, to operate at 7 Harrison Avenue and to increase the license from five to 19 vehicles.
Attorney James Giuliano, representing Costigan Realty LLC and E and C Auto Brokers, reviewed the site’s permitting history and said the 7 Harrison property already contains infrastructure and prior special‑permit conditions dating to 2009 and 2011. Giuliano told the council the new proposal keeps drainage, grease‑and‑oil separators and other environmental safeguards in place and adds only two parking spaces to the existing approved layout.
Chris Costigan, the applicant, described the move as necessary to expand operations after losing space at a prior location. He told the council he had “to come in here for one meeting when there were too many cars on‑site” at the former location and that securing 7 Harrison was a way to continue his small business (public comment).
Several people who said they have ties to the previous property owner at 505 Main Street urged the council to delay the hearing so they could secure counsel and detail an alleged chain‑of‑title concern. Alex (Alma) Erga, the owner of 505 Main Street, said she had provided a letter asking for a continuance and argued the dealership function should remain at 505 Main Street; William Sheree, a former owner, also described his understanding of prior arrangements.
Councilors debated whether the licensing dispute constituted a civil matter outside the council’s purview and sought documentary proof. Giuliano and council members noted that state law (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, §58) treats first‑ and second‑class motor‑vehicle licenses as belonging to persons or entities rather than to parcels of property, and that the applicant provided organizational records and a chronology showing the license transfer in 2017.
To address local concerns, the council adopted conditions carried forward from the October 27, 2011 special permit and amended hours of operation to 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, with no Sunday hours. The council also added two new conditions: a prohibition on spray‑booth car painting and a requirement that all mechanical work be performed inside the garage.
After discussion the council voted in favor of granting the special permit and approving the license transfer and amendment. The motions passed by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was documented in the meeting minutes.
The council also instructed departments (planning and engineering) to retain jurisdiction over landscaping and related site controls required by earlier permits. The decision does not foreclose civil claims by the former property owner; several councilors noted any litigation over the prior location would proceed outside the permitting process.
The council recessed briefly after the vote and then returned to the agenda.
