Business Development Committee 11-10-25

Thank you.

This is City Council's Committee on Community and Business Development. This is Monday, November 10, 2025. We're at 6.30 p.m. I have Councilor Marchese. I'm present. Councilor Hanlon. Councilor Garcia.

Present.

Councilor Matewsky. Here. We have four members present. All right, we have two pieces on the agenda. The first piece is a petition by Council Stephanie Martins as president. A petition requesting a new mechanical repair license for Everett Auto Center at 35 Orient Avenue. I don't see any petitioners.

Do we have any petitioners here for this petition?

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I don't know where that gentleman is tonight, but he was here at the last council meeting. He gave a brochure and according to Mr. Burley, all the papers are in order. I actually went down to the... No. I actually went down to this new business. It's far away from any residential property. And as a matter of fact, I think we all received one of the brochures. He's even going to start with the high school for one or two of the students to be apprentices in this business. And I got to tell you, I've been down there. They have a waiting room for the customers. It's first class. He only does classic cars and upscale car type of thing. and all his painting operation is all first class. Superior air quality. I mean, some of this stuff is very technical. But, you know, he was here at the last meeting. He did reach out to me as the councilman from Ward 1. And whether he's here or not tonight, I think we should... Give him a break because he has been to the Board of Appeals, I might add, a few months ago, and they granted him the variance that he needed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. So my question is, the paperwork is in order? All the paperwork?

Do you want enough paperwork? Is there any liens on the property that he's moving into? Not that we're aware of. Not that you're aware of? Should we have a tax roll on that piece of property?

Yes, everything's in order.

Next. The second one. So for the first one, if everything's in order, I would motion for favorable action.

Motion made. Second for favorable action. Councilor Hanlon.

They snapped it off. When they try to get a license promise, you know, they should be here. And I mean, I know you guys vote favorable action and everything, but I'm going to vote no.

They were present the last couple of meetings.

I really think they should be here, you know. Were they notified to come here, John?

Yes. Councilor Matewsky. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to understand, these gentlemen... have roots in this community. One of the owners' sisters has a bakery on Main Street. The other owner's mother lives at 66 Main Street, the Village Co-op. They are decent people. They have a business. They've done all the work at St. Teresa's. Palmer Church is now apartments. They're known people. And I might add... At the Board of Appeals meeting that was held two or three months ago that I attended, the gentleman was unaware of the procedures here at City Hall. And he asked me to be here because I had viewed the operation and looked at the building and so forth. He was in this chamber rather than the comedian room. So, you know, that alone tells you that they're not so... knowledgeable on where to be and so forth. He may be in the Cabirian room for all I know. But they're decent people and they were here at the last meeting and they may be here at the regular meeting. So I second Councilor Garcia's motion.

Thank you.

We have a motion made and second for favorable action. All in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? Aye. 4-0. It's been approved. This will be sent to the council meeting tonight. Did he vote in favor? John, you spoke in favor, right? Opposed? Opposed? 3-1, I'm sorry.

I'm not opposed to the shop. I'm just opposed to them not being here.

All right, the second piece of business is a petition of my counsel, Stephanie Myers, as president. A petition requesting a new Class II motor vehicle deal license for intercar auto sales at 70 Chelsea Street. And the petitioner is present.

Are they here? Yes. A motion to invite the petitioners. All in favor? Aye. I oppose. How are you tonight? Do we have any questions for the petitioners? Councilor Hanlon? Excuse me. Hi, how are you? Your names, please. I'm sorry.

Yes, my name is Anna, and this is Alexander.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too.

Councilor Hanlon, I'm sorry. Thank you. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you before, but my question, have you been in business before?

Yes, we did have a dealership in Somerville for four years, and we have a dealership in New Hampshire.

You still have it?

I still have it, yes.

And so are you going to be working in Everett or in New Hampshire, or both?

So normally my father stays at the New Hampshire dealership, and I stay here in Everett because we live in Everett, so it's closer to my house.

Okay, good.

And you are? His name is Alexander. He's my father.

Is your father?

Yes.

Wow, young guy. Is he going to be working at the business?

Yes, yes.

What are your hours going to be?

My hours? Monday to Friday, we are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And Sundays we are closed, but if we have customers, we do open for those customers.

That's what, the pickup cars, the pickup vehicles? Yes. Okay, because I don't expect you to be working on Sunday. Oh, okay. But if you have any people that are coming along, the car is ready, yeah, you can give it to them. That's okay with me. Okay. So any cars that you specialize in, it was all cars?

All cars.

All cars. Yeah. Hours of operations, 9 to 7 and 9 to 5 on Saturdays?

10 to 5 on Saturday.

Okay.

Okay, that's, well, okay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Councilor Matewsky. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could you just say where the location is? The armory, let's see. Is it the former gas station? The detailing place?

Like my place? 70 Chelsea. 70 Chelsea Street, yeah, is in front of JC Market.

Okay, that was a former glass company, right?

I'm not sure, I'm sorry. I mean, it used to be a car dealership. Oh, okay, the car dealership. But I don't know what it was before that, yeah.

So it's not the glass company? No, no, it's the land of the glass company. And there's a print shop next door?

Yes, there's a print shop next door, yes.

Okay, well, you know, I just... So you're going to sell cars?

Sell cars, mm-hmm.

And what is the number of cars on that location? It was some problems years ago. The man had cars everywhere. On Chelsea Street, Cabot Street. He had too many cars on the lot. I just want to make sure. Do you know how many you're licensed for?

I think the previous license had 34 vehicles.

34, okay. Is that what's on the license, Mr. Burley?

But I'm not sure. Okay.

It doesn't say, okay. Well, you have to be careful because there's an elderly center just a couple of doors down, and there's a lot of foot traffic there, so you want to respect the neighborhood.

Yeah, I know, yeah.

So you know that. Okay, it was a car dealership before. Okay. Councilor Garcia.

Thank you. My question is more for you now about the number of cars, how it's not referenced in there. Should we amend to add that in?

We had an inspector that went to the dealership and he told me that we need to have 24 vehicles available and 8 parking spots for customers and employees. It was something like that.

I just don't know if that needs to be in writing formally somewhere. Yes.

If I may, from the chair. Now, the building they're taking over, that was supposedly a place they made signs. It's what? What is it? Exists a dealership there now, isn't it?

It was, yes. It was a dealership there called Everett Auto Sales? No, Everett Used Cars.

Okay.

Oh, see, I take it over?

Yes.

Oh, okay. That's what I was trying to figure out where you were going there. That's right, because I know there's no longer a glass company in the corner, Councilor.

Mr. Chairman, it's right next to where the glass company is on the corner of Argyle.

Yeah, it's not there anymore, though.

Do you know the glass company to the right?

Is that the place where they, I'm just curious, is that where they had the signs? They made the signs in there one time?

It was a printing thing or something going on there. Is that still there? Yeah, I don't know if that's still there, but I think that building might have been subdivided at some point.

Oh, so they're just taking over the existing car lot that was there?

Yeah, I just didn't know about the glass company.

All right.

Should I turn this off?

Do we have any more questions for the petitioners?

Councilor Hanlon? Thank you. I'm sorry to ask you again, but where are you getting your vehicles from? Where do you get your vehicles? Your cell?

So we get it from a bunch of auctions, but normally we get it from any high auction. It's all used cars.

Okay. And when you buy that vehicle, do you inspect it to make sure it's a good vehicle?

Yes, we inspect it before putting it for sale. Okay.

Yeah. And who does that? Somebody in your company does that?

So we do not have a mechanic on the lot, but we do work with some mechanic shops around the dealership.

Can you tell me one of them?

Yes, let me just get it. It's called Marcelo's Auto Body in Somerville. It's where we used to have the dealership. So as we are familiar with that mechanic shop already, we continue to use them. And the other one is called Genus Auto Repairs.

And if you sell a vehicle and someone comes back and says that something's wrong with the transmission, what do you do?

I replace it if it's one that the lemon law warranty.

You would replace it?

Yeah.

You wouldn't send it out? I mean, I'm sorry, you would send it out to be replaced, but you would actually... I'm the one responsible to pay for that, yeah.

Okay. It really depends on the miles of the vehicle, but we follow the lemon law warranty for used cars. So depending on the miles, we need to offer a warranty for 30 days, 90 days, or 60 days. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

John, they can't put Christmas trees there anymore. There's cows there.

I know, I know. I used to use that as a Christmas tree shop.

Do we have any more questions? I'd like to make a motion to excuse their petitions.

Thank you. Second. Now a motion for favorable action.

I can second that, Mr. Chairman, but on the thing, we have listed actually what the hours are going to be and so forth.

Yep. It's 8.

Where's Monday through Friday, 9 to 7? 9 to 7. And 10 to 5 on Saturday? Okay. And does it say that we cover repairs and everything on the license? I want to make sure that the customers get satisfied too, you know.

I don't want to stay on the repairs prior to that. We have a favorable action by Councilor Garcia. We have a second. Motion made in second for favorable action. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Any motions adjourned?

So moved, Mr. Chairman.

Motion made in second to adjourn. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed?