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Neighbors oppose towing company at Northshore Road; council refers special-permit request to zoning
Summary
Residents and councilors raised noise, safety and permit compliance concerns about a proposed towing and roadside-assistance operation at 885 Northshore Road; the applicant said he is cleaning up the site and storing tow trucks temporarily. The council referred the special-permit application to zoning for further review.
The Revere City Council on June 22 heard a public hearing on an application by 128 Towing and Recovery LLC to operate a towing and roadside-assistance business at 885 Northshore Road. Neighbors and councilors described prior problems at the site and questioned whether the applicant has completed required site-plan conditions or holds a certificate of occupancy.
"I'm still opposed to having tow trucks come in at night, having garage doors open, beeping of the backup alarms," said Michael Tucker, a nearby resident, who said his bedroom window faces the property and that elderly neighbors are disturbed by noise. He also told the council he believed vehicles from the property had created sightline and safety hazards.
The applicant (representing 128 Towing) said he had spent months cleaning the site after a previous tenant, that he currently stores trucks and moves vehicles off the property soon after arrival, and that he was seeking a special permit primarily for storage and parking rather than a 24-hour towing hub. "It's just I just need somewhere to park my trucks," the applicant said, describing an organized plan with designated leased spaces for tenants and plans for fencing and a locked area.
Councelor Gino SA and other members pressed the applicant on discrepancies between the application (which listed four trucks) and testimony that he now has five, the lack of a certificate of occupancy, outstanding site-plan requirements, and proximity to a 40-foot salt marsh buffer. Council members requested the matter go to site-plan review and zoning; the council sent the application to zoning for additional review rather than taking a final vote.
Councilors also asked about limits on hours, the number of vehicles to be stored (the applicant listed capacity for 25 vehicles including tow trucks), and potential environmental or fire-code issues; the applicant said he would install higher fencing and seek to keep vehicles off the street. Zoning review and site-plan follow-up were recommended before any Chapter 148 or special-permit approval.
