Brentwood planning board tables DMV repair-plate response for Premier Towing pending code-enforcement review

The Brentwood Planning Board on Thursday voted to table a state Department of Motor Vehicles request about whether a repair-registration plate for Premier Towing and Auto Repair (25 Commercial Drive, Unit 9) conforms to the town's recorded site plan and zoning rules.

Applicant Matthew Trop, who said he operates a towing and repair operation out of Unit 9 and has been in town for about eight years, told the board his work is primarily roadside and that he wanted a single repair plate to test-drive unregistered vehicles and complete short-term repairs. "It's more or less just for vehicles that get towed in from people's residences...to test drive vehicles that aren't registered, make sure repairs are completed," Trop said during his presentation.

Board members pressed the applicant on parking counts and where vehicles are stored. Staff and board members noted the development is a condominium with limited designated parking: condo documents on file indicate limited common area extending 15 feet from bay doors and a specified number of spaces per unit. At the meeting, members reported seeing dozens of vehicles outside designated spaces and raised concerns that some vehicles appeared parked over septic distribution features.

The central question from the DMV is narrow: whether the operation at Unit 9 complies with Brentwood land-use and site-plan regulations. The board concluded it could not responsibly represent compliance while multiple parking and site-wide issues remain unresolved. Planning staff advised the applicant to obtain the recorded plan and condo documents and offered to provide plan and recording numbers electronically.

The board adopted a motion to table the response to the state pending guidance from the town's code enforcement officer and requested that the select board arrange a site visit by code enforcement to determine whether the property, as defined by the recorded site plan, is in compliance. The motion to table was seconded and carried on a voice vote; the board also voted to request the select board's assistance in securing a formal code-enforcement inspection so the planning board can later make a definitive response to the DMV.

Members and staff emphasized that the recorded site plan runs with the property and that the condo association (all nine unit owners) are collectively responsible for overall site compliance. Planning staff said enforcement findings and any written recommendations should be shared with all stakeholders and that the board's intention is to help the applicant operate legally once compliance is established.

Next steps for the applicant and property: staff will provide the applicant with the recorded plan and condo-doc references, the planning board will ask the select board to direct the code-enforcement officer to inspect the property, and the town will withhold a favorable reply to the DMV until the enforcement determination is made. The board did not grant the repair plate at the meeting.