307 Highland Ave STATEMENT OF GROUNDS STATEMENT OF GROUNDS FOR SPECIAL PERMIT FOR
CAR RENTAL BUSINESS AT 307 HIGHLAND AVENUE SALEM
The property at 307 Highland Avenue is a former care repair business use located in the
B-2 (Business Highway) Zoning District. Its most recent use until discontinued several years ago
was for Safelight Windshield replacements. The applicant now proposes and seeks a Special
Permit to use and operate the property for his car rental business.
Applicant proposes operating hours to the general public will be:
Mon. —Fri. 8AM to 6:00 PM
Saturdays 8 AM to 5 PM
Sundays—CLOSED
Vehicle access to this locus is by use of Greenledge Street, a public way abutting
Highland Avenue, and two existing curb cuts directly accessing the property from Highland
Avenue. It is the petitioner's intention to direct all regular business traffic onto and off of the lot
by way of Greenledge Street. The parcel contains an existing single-story office structure, and
adjacent 2-bay garage, and adequate ground space for ample employee and customer parking,
and the storage of about 45 cars on site as its rental car inventory.
Other than routine maintenance, the petitioner intends to operate the property without
any significant physical changes. There will be no exterior construction to or expansion of the
existing building or garages, no change in their footprints, and no change in their height. All
work will be repair and maintenance of the office and garages. The office will be used as
business office space, and the garages will be used to hand-clean and detail cars. These uses are
allowed as "motor vehicle light service" in this B-2 Zone.
The Petitioner is seeking this Special Permit because under Section 3.1.4 (Table of Uses)
a Special Permit is required to operate a motor vehicle rental business in this B-2 District, which
is the applicant's intended use.
There are good grounds for granting this Special Permit, which will change the present
vacant commercial use to a specially permitted use as a car rental and hand-cleaning and
detailing of vehicles use, as follow:
a) The social, economic and community needs for access to and competition in the price of
rental cars is served by this proposal.
b) More than adequate on-site parking is satisfied by the 3 employee spaces (where 1
space required for office manager and 1/2 space for each other regular detailer) and one
space is required for each 1,000 SF of gross floor area, whereas 6 customer spaces are
provided. as shown on the Board of Appeals Plan prepared by North Shore Survey
Corporation, as submitted. Traffic flow and safety to and from Highland Avenue will be
via Greenledge Street, a public way, and there are nearby traffic signals along Highland
Avenue which provide periods for safe entrance from the site to Highland Avenue.
c) Adequate public services and utilities serve already serve the locus.
d) Because there will be no new constructed, granting this permit will not have any
negative impacts on the natural environment or surface drainage.
e) The neighbor character is highway business, and this proposal is consistent with that
character.
f) The proposed new business will create and add at least 3 regular jobs to the
employment base of the City, and, as a going business rather than a vacant lot, will have
a positive impact upon the tax base of the City.
WHEREFOR, the petitioner requests that this petition be granted.