Applicant asks Readfield planning board to allow small used‑car lot at inspection station

Mr. Hatch asked the Readfield Planning Board on a procedural vote Tuesday to modify his existing approval for a vehicle repair and inspection business to allow a small used-car sales lot on the same property. He told the board he intends to limit inventory to roughly three to five cars for sale at any time and to keep longer-term repair projects out of sight behind the house.

The request matters to neighbors and the board because the property sits in a residential area with substantial road frontage. Mr. Hatch said the state police previously indicated the frontage would be suitable for a small lot and that he would make only modest changes: regrade a swath of front lawn to form a gravel display area, no new lighting, and a small roadside sign placed after utility pole adjustments. He acknowledged the town’s standard condition that any required state or dealer licenses still must be obtained before sales begin.

Board members asked where vehicles now stored would go and how the owner would manage customer cars; Mr. Hatch said approximately 10 customer vehicles are sometimes on site but he does not expect to keep more than five cars for sale and would move longer-term projects to the rear of the property. Members also raised the permit’s permanence — an approval that “runs with the land” — and Mr. Hatch said he did not intend to sell the property in the near term and would explore options to keep the business a family operation.

The planning board treated the item as a completeness determination and voted to find the application complete, unanimously moving it forward so staff can schedule a public hearing and arrange a site visit. The applicant was advised to coordinate precise site-plan details and sign placement with planning staff before the hearing. No final decision on the use was made at this meeting.