By Stephen Stirling
The business, located at 166-11 Northern Blvd., has drawn the ire of residents who have complained over the last several months that the company has been selling cars on the lot without the proper city Department of Buildings variance and packed the lot so tightly with autos it is presenting a hazard to those who live in the area. The DOB variance for Champion Motors, an auto repair business operated on the site, expired in October 2005. The firm is currently in the process of applying to have the variance renewed, with an additional change to legalize the sale of automobiles on the property. Alfonso Duarpe, an attorney representing Champion Motors and its parent company, Barone Properties Inc., said the business has continued to operate during the application process. It began the transition toward selling new and used automobiles on the property in the last year, he said. Duarpe said when the Buildings Department approves a new variance, “there will be no repair of autos on this site.””We're asking for the legalization to sell automobiles on the site,” he said. “Nothing is legal until we get approval.” Since August a committee set up by CB 7 has met with the owners in an attempt to work with the car dealership to make improvements to the lot and address the concerns of the community. The committee presented a list of requirements to the company, such as building a fence around the property, removing 12 fuel tanks located underneath the property and reducing the number of cars on the lot to the legal limit of 41, which they said has been ignored almost entirely over the last six months. Duarpe said the dealership is working to make the improvements. He said the company has been looking for another site to hold the excess vehicles and several attempts to purchase a new lot have fallen through in recent months.Duarpe said until another lot is acquired, the 12 fuel tanks located underneath the property, remnants from when the site was used as a gas station, cannot be removed. Rhea O'Gorman of the Station Road Civic Association, said she has routinely counted the cars on the lot and they have always exceeded the limit of 41 set by the city Department of Buildings. O'Gorman said she had visited the site Sunday and counted 57 cars on the site, which she said presents a serious fire hazard should emergency officials need to access the site. “There's still too many cars, there's always been too many cars,” O'Gorman said. “At some point the excuses have to be taken as lies.” Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
