Neighbors Object to Mark's Business Expansion

Mark's Transportation is a school transportation company with offices in a commercial zone on East Main Street. But a large garage in the back of its lot is on property zoned for residential uses, because of its proximity to a small, densely populated neighborhood.

On Tuesday, the Milford Planning Board voted 3-1 to recommend rejection of the rezoning, influenced by several neighbors who said the transportation company has disregarded their concerns about early-morning noise and troublesome employees. Voting against the board's majority was Patrick Kennelly, who cited the needs of small business.

The request will go to Milford's Annual Town Meeting in May with an "unfavorable recommendation" from the Planning Board, which held a public hearing on the application that drew sharp criticism from several neighbors.

Joseph Cimino, who lives on Cook Street, told the Planning Board he'd had to contend over the years with late-night or early-morning noise from tow trucks, tow truck drivers who were drunk and partying in the garage at night, or throwing snowballs over his house. At one point, he said, he found an arrow that had come into his property, shot he said by someone using a cross-bow on Mark's property.

Several of the incidents required police intervention, he said.

"Opening this up to commercial is a dread to us," Cimino said. "This is zoned residential for us beause we're packed in there really tight. This is a quality of life issue."

Two other neighbors also asked the Planning Board to not approve the request.

Mark Wassarman, who owns the company and the property, disputed the neighbor accounts. The company has been in the location 18 years, he said, and not once has had an issue that requred a police response. The tow truck business, he said, has been closed since 2009. The company has 50 employees, about half of them Milford residents.

"These are school bus drivers," Wassarman said, pointing out they have to pass criminal background checks each year.

Planning Board members cited the neighbor concerns, and the fact that the business purchased its site knowing that the back half of the site was zoned residential, to be compatible with the neighborhood in back.

"These people are also citizens, who pay taxes. They deserve to be protected," said Marble M. Mainini III.