WESTFIELD – The City Council’s Legislative & Ordinance Committee will present a number of ordinance changes to the council at the Feb. 2 session dealing with a range of issues from approving stop signs to allowing truck and heavy equipment repair firms to operate through a special permit.
The L&O is slated to meet again on Monday, Jan. 30, to complete the revisions to the proposed ordinance changes.
The L&O members discussed a taxi and livery ordinance that was initially introduced on May 7, 2009. At-large Councilor John J. Beltrandi III, a member of the L&O and Chairman of the License Committee, is pushing the issue through because of a livery license pending in his committee.
Ken Welker, owner of K&M Corporation, appeared before the City Council’s License Committee Tuesday, Jan. 17 to request a livery license from the City Council to operate a limousine service with his fleet of five vehicles.
Beltrandi is attempting to push the ordinance through the council quickly so as to not further delay Welker, who has dealt with a number of setbacks while attempting to establish the limousine service.
The committee members, with input from councilors who served on that committee when the ordinance was initially under review, will continue modification next week with the goal of presenting the ordinance to the City Council at the Feb. 2 session.
The L&O will present an ordinance amendment to establish stop signs at six intersections. The request for those amendments came out of the city’s Traffic Commission.
The Traffic Commission has requested stop signs for the northbound traffic on Oak Lane at the intersection with Oakcrest Drive; southbound traffic on Spartan Lane at the intersection of Oakcrest Drive; eastbound traffic on Hillside Road at the intersection of Southwick Road; northbound traffic on Highland View Street at the intersection of Russell Road; eastbound traffic on Harvard Street at the intersection of Dartmouth Street; and northbound traffic on East Glenn Drive at the intersection of Egleston Road.
L&O members also voted to present a number of streets for acceptance as public ways. The list includes several streets opposed by various city departments for acceptance because of substandard conditions.
The members voted to provide a positive recommendation for acceptance of Hillcrest Circle, Rita Mary Way, Devon Manor, Mather Street, Colony Circle, Stony Lane, Birch Lane, Aviator Way, Park River Drive, Old Park Lane and Jeanne Marie Drive.
The committee also voted to request the City Council to schedule a public hearing for the acceptance of Camelot Lane.
The truck and heavy equipment repair amendment is being presented to the City Council as a bridge for a company which has been in business on Lockhouse Road for nearly seven years.
The owner of the company applied for a special permit to expand the business, which is located on a major commercial truck route, only to find that not only could he expand the business, the business was not allowed because the property zoned for Industrial A uses.
Ward 2 Councilor James E. Brown Jr., chairman of the L&O said the ordinance amendment, submitted by Beltrandi and Ward 1 Councilor Christopher Keefe, would expand the zones where that use would be allowed by special permit issued through the Planning Board.
“Existing use would be allowed by special permit in other zones, but would not be allowed to expand,” Brown said. “Currently that use is allowed only in the Business B zone. The business owner would still have to obtain a zone change to expand his business, but this would make the legal while he goes through the zone change process.”
