By Susan MacEachron

The Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) held a public hearing to discuss the new storage garage George Auclair wants to build on Greenwoods Road East/Route 44 across the street from his existing Gulf service station.

Ron Wolff of Wolff Engineering, which is overseeing the site development, described the plans for a 50 by 100-foot garage to be used to house Auclair’s tow trucks.

Wolff said that the state Department of Transportation (DOT) has approved the easement for a new driveway on Route 44. P&Z members asked questions regarding Wolff’s statement that the DOT requires a 700-foot sight line in each direction for the driveway. Wolff noted that this will necessitate clearing trees along Route 44. He also described the plan to plant a number of 8- to 9-feet tall arborvitaes up by the building to screen the view from the road.

Todd Hiller read a statement expressing his support for Auclair, and Eugene Sokolow, an abutting landowner who said he has been doing business with Auclair for 34 years, also expressed his support for the project. He noted that the land is zoned for commercial use and is not good for any other purpose. Phyllis Bernard stated that there have been a number of accidents along Route 44 where it curves by Loon Meadow Rd. and expressed her concern that the new driveway would create another location for potential accidents.

In response to a question, Auclair said that lighting would be minimal and turned on only when the building was in use. P&Z approved the plan.

P&Z briefly discussed the potential for regulations regarding cannabis retail stores and agricultural facilities and decided to wait until the April 12 meeting to discuss the issue with town planner Glen Chalder.