Business & Tech
Marblehead Nursery Continues to Flout Town's Parking Rules
Selectmen backed the building inspector in efforts to enforce a three-year-old agreement about parking spaces. The owners failed to show up for the discussion.
The Board of Selectmen backed town building Inspector Robert Ives Wednesday night in his efforts to force West Shore Gardens, also known as Marblehead Gardens, to provide 17 regular parking spaces and one handicapped parking space at its nursery on West Shore Drive.
Neither owner Mark O'Connor nor his attorney showed up to discuss the parking issues with the Selectmen, although Town Administrator Jeff Chelgren said he was told last week that someone would be present.
Ives wrote O'Connor on May 21, telling him that the town would enforce the 2010 agreement between the nursery and the town to have 17 parking spaces. He gave the nursery 10 days to come up with a plan for providing the 17 parking spaces.
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Ives has observed that the gardens use some of the parking spaces for storage and merchandise.
The agreement was reached with the town after it became clear that the nursery did not have enough space to meet the zoning requirements that a business of its size must provide.
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But despite the agreement, several Selectmen said the gardens have rarely complied with the agreement.
In addition, the state now requires a business with 15 or more parking spaces to have at least one handicapped space.
Chelgren told the board that there is space in the back of the nursery building to have a handicapped parking space. The nursery uses that space now for storage, he said.
“One would hope they will comply next week,” said board chairman Jackie Belf-Becker.
Other Selectmen were skeptical that the nursery would comply. Selectman James Nye noted that the nursery has not complied with the agreement for three years. “They come up with a plan, then forget about it,” he said.
“It just seems like a delaying tactic,” said Selectman Judy Jacobi.
During spring and fall, the busy seasons for nurseries, there are few empty parking spaces, Nye said.
Selectman Harry Christensen did not participate in the discussion since he has represented the gardens in the past in his legal practice.
