Planning Board refuses to give business ‘competitive edge’

Date: 9/6/2011

Sept. 5, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW — The Planning Board approved, then promptly pulled an about face and denied a request from Competitive Edge Ski and Bike to host a tent sale on its front lawn this week.

At its Aug. 30 meeting, the board discussed a request for waiver of site plan from the sports equipment retailer, located at 612 North Main St., which outlined its intention to set up a tent in the grassy area in front of the store in order to sell last year’s merchandise at a discounted rate.

Planning Director Robyn Macdonald said during the meeting the company originally planned to host the sale in a tent in its parking lot, but she informed them that the parking area was too small to hold the tent and maintain adequate parking.

Members of the board expressed concerns with the tent ranging from whether or not it would have to meet setback requirements to line of sight issues. Planning Board Vice-Chair George Kingston raised the question about whether or not the tent should be considered a structure, pointing out that garage tents fall under that category.

The most prominent complaint about the waiver request, however, was the manner in which it was presented. Board members pointed out that the map outlining the tent’s location was a “sketch,” which was not to scale and could not be verified.

However, the board eventually approved the waiver of site plan.

“In this economy, I would hate to tell someone they can’t make money,” Planning Board Chair Peter Punderson said.

Immediately following the vote, Planning Board member Michael Cabarreta expressed concerns with setting a precedent by approving a plan submitted in such fashion.

“In my two and a half years on this board, I don’t think we’ve ever allowed something like this to pass,” he said. “I think it sets a bad precedent and people will be coming to us with plans drawn in pen expecting us to approve them.”

Punderson agreed, saying the original vote “didn’t sit well” with him and a motion was made to reconsider the vote, which was approved.

The board then unanimously disallowed the waiver of site plan.