WESTFIELD – The City Council voted unanimously last night to approve a special permit petition to allow an outdoor storage facility and firewood retail business on a Lockhouse Road property.
The council’s vote included a number of documents added Wednesday night by the Zoning, Planning & Development Committee which attached findings and a dozen condition to the special permit. The committee also required the petitioner, Matthew Rokosz, to submit a professional generated site plan as part of the documentation.
The ZP&D Committee meticulously reviewed a special permit petition Wednesday to determine conditions needed to address public safety issues and to ensure the businesses are operated in an orderly manner.
Matthew Rokosz requested the special permit to construct a 35,000-square-foot storage area secured by a six-foot-high chain-link fence on property owner by his mother, Barbara Rokosz. The family is being represented by Attorney Brad Moir. Rokosz is also seeking permission to conduct a firewood retail business at the back of the property.
Moir said at the City Council’s April 3 public hearing that the property is zoned Industrial A and is located in a heavily developed industrial area. The site is across Lockhouse Road from the intersection of Servistar Industrial Way.
Moir said there is a need for the outdoor storage facility since a similar business, located on Barnes Regional Airport property abutting Southampton Road, closed. The facility would give a secure site for residents to store trailers, boats and recreational vehicles, typically during the winter months.
The special permit petition was presented at a public hearing held at the City Council’s April 17 session and then referred to both the Zoning Planning & Development Committee and to the Legislative & Ordinance Committee, which met Tuesday night.
The L&O members raised a number of concerns during that meeting, but deferred taking action until the ZP&D Committee could review the proposal and vote on the findings and conditions to be attached to the proposal.
At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty, ZP&D chairman, recommended that his committee also request the petitioner to submit a site plan as part of the special condition process. Building Superintendent Jon Flagg had determined that Rokosz’s project required only a special permit issued through the City Council, but typically a site plan formalizes the conditions and requirements attached to the special permit.
The conditions address concerns of both committees relative to hours of operation for the firewood retail business, emergency responder access, landscaping and measures to prevent lights from illumination beyond the property line.
The ZPD&D also attached a condition that the chain-link fence facing Lockhouse Road be treated with black vinyl and that the area in front of the fence be landscaped with trees and shrubs for aesthetic purposed.
Other condition include paving the driveway apron at the juncture of Lockhouse Road and the use of a spill kit under motorized recreational vehicles to catch engine and transmission fluids which may leak during storage.
Moir said the access drive from Lockhouse Road to the open-air storage facility would be 50-feet long, enough length to accommodate a vehicle with a trailer and that there will be a locked gate, controlled by a keypad or card access system and a second gate at the rear of the storage facility for emergency vehicle access.
The ZP&D will referred the special permit, with attached finding and conditions, to the L&O Committee at last night’s City Council meeting.
The L&O gave the full council a 3-0 positive recommendation to grant the special permit after a vote to accept all four findings and the 12 condition written by the ZP&D Committee.
