East Windsor Rejects Limits On Auto Dealers, Repair Shops

EAST WINDSOR, CT — East Windsor planners have unanimously rejected their own proposal to limit where new car dealerships, repair shops and other automotive businesses could open.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 against the proposed regulations during its Sept. 22 meeting, according to draft meeting minutes.

The proposed changes followed months of opposition from residents living near a proposed dealership and repair facility at 122 South Main St.

Residents of the neighboring Meadow View condominium complex opposed that project during public hearings in May and June. Their concerns included noise, traffic, lighting, drainage, fumes, property values and the number of vehicles that would be stored near their homes.

Some residents also worried that the proposed repair bays could eventually be rented to separate automotive businesses.

The commission rejected that application in June. Commissioners later began considering broader regulations intended to limit the number and location of dealerships and repair shops while encouraging a wider mix of businesses along the town’s commercial corridors.

Under the proposed changes, several automotive uses would have been removed from the B-2 commercial zone, including new and used car dealerships, repair establishments, car washes, automotive retail businesses and vehicle inventory lots.

Dealerships and repair shops also would have been removed from the TZ-5 zone. Most of those businesses would have remained allowed in the M-1 manufacturing zone.

Existing automotive businesses affected by the changes could have continued as legal nonconforming uses, but they would not have been allowed to expand. The proposal also included updated definitions and parking requirements for dealerships and repair facilities.

Town Planner Ruthanne Calabrese presented the changes during the Sept. 22 hearing. Unlike the earlier dealership hearings, no residents spoke in support or opposition that night, according to the minutes.

Commissioner Anne Gobin made the motion to approve the regulations, and alternate member Wayne Shary seconded it. Chairman Mike Kowalski, Vice Chairman Jim Thurz, Gobin and Shary then voted against the motion.

The minutes do not identify the commissioners’ reasons for opposing the proposal. The town’s existing automotive-use regulations will remain in place.

The decision came as two new automotive proposals await future hearings for properties on South Main Street.

Shelby Real Estate LLC has returned with a smaller proposal for the property at 122 South Main St. The latest application calls for a 4,000-square-foot used-car dealership in the TZ-5 zone.

Southern Auto Auction and LCC Partnership have also applied to construct two 9,360-square-foot buildings at 138 South Main St. The buildings would support used-car sales and automotive repairs in the B-2 zone.

Both applications are expected to be heard at future commission meetings. Hearing dates were not included in the Sept. 22 minutes.

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