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Select Board approves Franklin Park Enterprises' request to expand used-car display area
Summary
After a public hearing and a written neighborhood objection, the Templeton Select Board approved an amendment to Franklin Park Enterprises LLC's class 2 motor vehicle dealer license to allow expansion of the front display/parking area; the approval takes effect after the 20-day appeal period (April 27, 2026).
The Town of Templeton Select Board voted April 6 to approve an amendment to the class 2 motor vehicle dealer license for Franklin Park Enterprises LLC, allowing expansion of the front display/parking area beyond the prior 25-car limitation.
Applicant Kirk Machete described the site's zoning history and said the property is now in a commercial-industrial zone; he told the board he seeks to sell used cars and equipment from an organized front lot rather than use the front area for salvage. "Basically I'm asking for an allowed use with an allowed zone by doing away with the old obsolete one," he said during the public hearing.
A letter from neighbors Joe and Laura Sanders, read into the record, opposed the change and urged strict mitigation if the board approved the amendment. The Sanderses argued the proposed increase would "materially change the scale, visibility, overall impact of this commercial activity within a residential area" and asked for screening, strict sign and lighting controls and limits on visible vehicles.
Planning-board paperwork included conditions addressing lighting and site layout; the board noted the planning board approved a site plan with conditions before the licensing matter reached the select board. After hearing proponents and opposition and clarifying that planning-board conditions and a 20-day appeal/certification period would apply, the board approved the amendment. The license will take effect April 27, 2026, unless appealed to the town clerk within the statutory period.
What it means: the business may increase vehicle display area consistent with the approved site plan and planning-board conditions; neighbors concerned about visibility and scale may pursue appeals during the 20-day period. The board said conditions in the planning-board approval should address lighting, buffering and signage and reminded residents of the appeal window.
Next steps: the town clerk will certify the vote after the 20-day period, and the owner may implement the approved expansion consistent with the planning-board permit and any conditions or mitigation the board recorded.
