Penguin gas station receives approvals from Belmont planning and zoning boards

BELMONT — The Zoning Board of Adjustments granted Belmont Penguin Real Estate Holdings, LLC a variance to to build a gas pump canopy closer to the front property line on Route 106 than the 50-feet allowed by existing zoning ordinances.

Penguin engineer Matthew Moore told a 4-member ZBA that the company wants to move the canopy closer to the road to improve the turning radius and to provide fire trucks better access and maneuverability to reduce the risk they will collide with the canopy.

He said the entrance will remain one-way as will the exit to the south of the former D & D County Market and Deli.

In a meeting held earlier in August, the Planning Board approved a site plan that would relocate the diesel fuel pumps, pave and reconfigure the parking area, add fuel pumps, remove the propane filling tank, add a retaining wall, add a drive-through canopy and enlarge a walk-in cooler.

The reconfiguration of the parking lot and the addition of a 4-foot chain-link fence is necessary because Penguin was unable to come to financial terms with abutter George Condodemetraky about renting land previously used by D & D Market for parking and snow removal.

Minutes of the August 24 Planning Board meeting reflect the Condodemetrakys had numerous concerns with the latest site plan including storm-water runoff, the number of parking spaces and doubling the number of gas pumps.

Town Planner Candace Daigle said engineers designed the storm-water runoff and it has always worked in the past. She said there were no new gas tanks being added so the pumping capacity has not changed and the Planning Board can adjust the number of parking spaces, which actually increased from 20 to 21 without using the six spaces along the berm that separates Route 106 from the property. Daigle added that parking spaces are within the purview of the Planning Board and can be adjusted by them during the site plan review.

Site plan conditions include obtaining all DOT permits, swapping the location of the dumpster, adding one parking space, adding a 4-foot chain link fence along the property line, filling the opening of the of the existing guardrail on the southern border, striping the "no parking loading zone" south of the new fuel island, eliminating the six spaces along the Route 106 berm, and adding gas pumps that take credit and debit cards to reduce foot traffic to the store.