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Fairview Park committee advances purchase option for Mastic Road site for new service garage
Summary
After a presentation on worsening vehicle-storage and mechanic‑shop conditions, the city administration persuaded the finance committee to advance a purchase option for 22100 Mastic Road to second reading and return it to committee while staff provides cost comparisons, renderings and funding details.
City officials on March 9 presented a plan to buy 22100 Mastic Road — a vacant, two‑story property that the administration proposes to convert into a consolidated service garage and office space for the city’s public‑works operations.
Assistant Development Director Megan Otter described the existing mechanic’s garage at City Hall as undersized and deteriorating, and Director Hitch showed photographs of vehicles stored outdoors, a four‑bay garage that cannot accommodate larger trucks, and roof and foundation issues in the current salt storage. “We have no cover for anything,” Hitch said, arguing that indoor storage would reduce corrosion and maintenance costs for equipment such as the city’s sewer‑jet truck, which officials said costs roughly $650,000.
Mayor Schneider framed the Mastic Road property as a rare opportunity in a built‑out city. He said the site — an old funeral home that has been vacant for about a decade — offers 2.6 acres and an existing building that could be used while the city stages later construction. “We need space,” the mayor said, noting the city currently has about 1.5 acres behind City Hall and limited options for truck turnarounds and salt storage.
Council members pressed administration witnesses for more financial detail and alternatives. Ward 5 Councilman Rick Raley asked for a side‑by‑side cost comparison of renovating the existing campus versus buying and remodeling the Mastic Road property; officials estimated full build‑out could range from roughly $4 million to $10 million depending on scope. Council members also raised neighborhood concerns including proximity to houses, noise and truck traffic; the mayor and staff said they plan sound‑mitigation measures and that much vehicle activity would leave the site early in the day.
The finance committee voted on a procedural motion to place ordinance 26‑18 (the purchase option for 22100 Mastic Road) on second reading and to return the item to committee so the administration could provide the additional cost estimates, renderings and funding breakdown the council requested. The vote approved the procedural step; it was not a final purchase authorization.
Next steps: staff said they will provide the requested side‑by‑side cost comparisons, clarifying renderings of proposed layouts and a funding plan before the ordinance returns to committee for further consideration.
