City Council considers zoning change for local business
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Marlborough - A request from a local businessman for a zoning change on a portion of his property highlighted a 22-point agenda at Marlborough's City Council meeting Oct. 15.

Jeff Batta, owner of Marlborough Nissan on Route 20, told the City Council at the meeting that he needs to expand his lot in order to meet the demands being placed on his dealership, which he told councilors is the fourth-best Nissan dealership in New England from a sales standpoint.

At the City Council meeting, Batta proposed, through his lawyer Arthur Bergeron, two separate zoning changes.

Batta is requesting that a portion of his property located behind the dealership be changed from residential zoning to business zoning. In addition, Batta would like to see the zoning code changed so that new car dealer- ships are allowed by special permit in business zones.

As for the first request, Bergeron explained to the City Council that the land behind the dealership received a residential zoning classification many years ago. Since that time, however, all the land surrounding this residentially-zoned patch of real estate has contained nothing but businesses - like the dealership and many self-storage companies - or been used for an industrial purpose, as one of the city's wastewater treatments plants is located nearby.

Bergeron told councilors that Batta's business and the residentially-zoned parcel behind it are connected.

Batta told the City Council that changing the land behind his business from residential to business could cause the number of vehicles at Marlborough Nissan on display on Route 20 to decrease as many of the vehicles now on display in the front of the business could be stored in the back of the business.

The second proposed zoning change brought forth by Batta and Bergeron - the zoning code change that would allow new car dealerships by special permit in business zones - was met with reservations by City Councilor Edward Clancy.

Clancy observed that the change would allow any business along Route 20 to become a car dealership or car repair shop, something Marlborough has been working to prevent.

Clancy expressed concern that a large site on Route 20 could be operating as one thing, close its doors and then re-open as an automotive superstore if it so desired. Clancy said he believed the zoning code change could be quite problematic for the city.

Batta and Bergeron countered Clancy's contention by explaining that car dealerships can be stylish and unobtrusive. Bergeron cited the Land Rover store on Route 20 in Sudbury as just such an example.

Both proposed zoning changes were re-directed to the Urban Aff airs Committee.

Prior to the City Council meeting Oct. 15, the Planning Board met and unanimously denied a variance for owners of a local restaurant who wanted to place a wall sign on the Court Street side of the Main Street building that houses their eatery, Sorrento's Restaurant.

The Planning Board denied the variance based on the advice of Building Commissioner Stephen Reid.

Reid told the Planning Board at its Oct. 15 meeting that Sorrento owners Jeff and Parisa Zamira affixed the sign to the Main Street building despite Reid telling them not to do so.

According to the city's existing sign ordinance, only one flat wall sign is allowed per facade with a public entrance. Because there is no public entrance on the Curt Street side, Reid explained to the Planning Board, that part of the building is not considered a facade and therefore not eligible to have a flat wall sign affixed to it.

Neither Jeff or Parisa Zamira attended the Oct. 15 Planning Board meeting.

Planning Board Chair Barbara Fenby said the Planning Board intends to ask the city to consider changing the sections of the sign ordinance that are most in need of clarification.