School-transport provider proposes regional maintenance hub at former Gateway building in Lebanon

A representative for a large school-transportation company told the Lebanon Planning Board it plans to lease the former Gateway auction building at 826 Carl Broy and convert it into a regional maintenance hub for contracted school buses.

The company’s head of construction said the operation would start small — "three to start, possibly up to 10" staff — and that at peak the site could store and service many vehicles. "We would like to be in there yesterday," the representative said, describing a timeline driven by contracts and fleet needs. He added the company would not fuel vehicles on site but would handle oil changes using aboveground tanks and arrange weekly used-oil pickup.

Planning staff and board members said the proposal will require a formal major site-plan review, stamped engineering drawings and additional information on environmental protections. Board members listed likely requirements: an engineered containment system for vehicle servicing, oil separators, stormwater controls tied to the SWIP, dumpster enclosures, and upgrades or verification for fire suppression and septic/well utilities. "We'll have to go through site plan," a board member said; staff noted that professional, stamped plans and third-party inspections will be required as part of the review process.

The board discussed traffic and storage logistics: the company estimated routine daily traffic would be low (the representative suggested about 10 bus movements per day for pick-up and drop-off) but said stacked storage could reach dozens of vehicles depending on contract cycles. Board members raised questions about pavement, containment for wash areas, oil disposal, and whether additional fire-protection capacity would be needed for large-scale maintenance operations.

Next steps set by the board and staff: the applicant must submit a complete major site-plan application with engineered drawings. If the application is accepted as complete at a future meeting, the board will schedule a site walk and a public hearing; staff estimated the earliest date for formal approval, if everything moves quickly, would be the July 20 meeting. The board asked the applicant to coordinate early with code enforcement, the fire chief and environmental reviewers to identify containment and permitting requirements.

The board did not vote on the project at the meeting; members emphasized the process is iterative and contingent on receiving the required documents and third-party reviews.

What happens next: the applicant will prepare stamped plans and submit a major site-plan application; staff will place it on the next agenda for acceptance, schedule a site walk to confirm on-the-ground conditions, and set a public hearing if the submission is complete.