Parking the issue at Montvale
Published on July 23rd, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - With the fate of the Montvale Plaza hinging on the approval of two warrant articles at next Monday's Special Town Meeting, Stoneham Attorney Charlie Houghton voiced his concern with parking shortages at the function hall.
Houghton, who represents Curt. R. Feuer, the owner of Montvale Place, claims that limited parking at the function hall has long interfered with his client's business.
"Over the years, there's always been a parking issue between Montvale Place and Montvale Plaza," said Houghton.
"If you've ever been to an event there (the Plaza), you can see cars parked all over Montvale Place. I hope people can understand that," added Houghton, who claims his client lost two tenants, 93 Liquors and a convenience store, as a result of the parking issues.
Claiming that he assumed ownership of the Plaza after Feuer lost those two tenants, Marty Murphy, the function hall's current owner, attested that the parking shortages Houghton referred to were a thing of the past.
"That was way before my time. When I moved in, there was no convenience store and no liquor store...I also know for a fact that the previous owner (of the Plaza) had an agreement with Montvale Place to rent out parking spaces. Perhaps that had some bearing on those two businesses," responded Murphy.
Further disputing Houghton and Feuer's claims that parking at the Plaza is problematic, Murphy cited several tools he uses to control parking.
"We have a valet service and off-site parking arrangements. People on the premises make sure people aren't parking over there. If you drive down Montvale Avenue and go by Montvale Place on a night I have an event, that lot is empty," Murphy stated.
While Houghton agrees that the parking concerns originally stemmed from a dispute with the Plaza's former owner, Mario Serolli, he argued that cars still spill over into his client's lot during events at the Plaza.
"The problem happens not when you have 600 people over there, but even when you have 200-300 people over there. I know Marty tries to control it but there has to be some way to make it work so it doesn't affect my client," said Houghton.
Arguing that the Plaza was not zoned to operate as a function hall, Houghton first appealed Building Inspector Gene Argiro's decision to allow Murphy to renovate the property shortly after he bought it in 1998.
Agreeing with Argiro's interpretation that the Plaza would fall under grandfather protections, the Town's Zoning Board of Appeals upheld the Building Inspector's decision.
However, after Houghton again appealed the Zoning Board's decision to higher courts, Argiro's interpretation was overturned by Massachusetts Land Court and subsequently by Massachusetts Appeals Court.
Although the Plaza has operated as a function hall for nearly four decades, last March's Massachusetts Appeals Court case, brought about by the Town of Stoneham and Murphy, ruled that the site was never properly zoned to operate under that designation.
Warrant Articles three and four for a July 28 Special Town Meeting seek to amend Stoneham's zoning bylaws to allow the Montvale Plaza to operate as a banquet hall and to permit the site to utilize off-site parking. According to Murphy, without Town Meeting approval, he will be forced to go out of business.
"I just want people to know that July 28, is a very, very important day for me. I appreciate all the support we're getting from the business community, citizens, and Town officials these past couple of weeks," commented Murphy on the potential threat to his business.
Although Houghton sympathizes with Murphy's plight and spoke highly of the function hall owner's commitment to the Town, the attorney emphasized that Murphy has a legal obligation to control the parking situation.
"When Marty came into to Stoneham, he paid off all the back taxes and water debts on the property and the Town was grateful. I understand that. And over the years the Plaza has been a landmark. I understand that too," began Houghton.
"I know Marty says it's going to put him out of business but he has to deal with it because it's affecting our business. Marty's a nice guy, but be that as it may, there's still a parking problem...Like every other business, Marty should provide parking for his use," Houghton added.
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