Motoriot returns before P&Z

KENT — Antique car business Motoriot returned to the Planning and Zoning Commission Zoom room on Thursday, Dec. 11, with a revised site plan for its Bridge Street facility, continuing a troubled legacy between the dealership and town as Commissioners were left still unsatisfied.

Motoriot owners Jason Doornick and Charles Narwold presented their renewed plans during Thursday’s meeting, though commissioners expressed that they still weren’t complete, lacking a designation of specifically determined employee parking, as well the final design of a proposed external staircase that would connect to a second-floor accessory apartment.

Casey asked that they return before the Commission during its January meeting with a finalized and timely version of the site plan.

The two men promised to do so, explaining that the process has been educational, and that they are willing to work to get it right. “It is not easy for us and it’s definitely not easy for you guys,” Doornick said in response to the feedback. “Nobody’s enjoying this and we’re learning as we go.”

Since opening in early 2024, the classic car restoration venture has disputed several times with P&Z regarding permitting, primarily relating to the business’s employees parking on adjacent residential Elizabeth Street.

The situation came to a head in late October when the Commission authorized the Land Use Office to issue a cease-and-desist order against the dealership. The decision came after months of outcry from Elizabeth Street neighbors who claimed that the business’s leadership had remained uncooperative – even combative – with their requests that it keeps its vehicles off the street.

Just before the cease-and-desist order, former First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer blocked parking on one side of Elizabeth Street as a temporary enforcement measure, but the ban has since been lifted.