East Longmeadow Planning Board Approves Ten-Bay Firestone With Closed-Door Noise Conditions

EAST LONGMEADOW — July 7, 2026 — East Longmeadow Planning Board unanimously approves ten-bay Firestone Auto Care Center at 546 North Main Street. The board, chaired by Russell Denver, voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve site plan Case Site-226-04 for the 6,600-square-foot facility proposed by Zeremba Group LLC of Lakewood, Ohio, after a second contentious public hearing that drew roughly a dozen resident speakers. Traffic engineer Herman Peralta testified the Firestone would generate approximately 58 combined peak-hour trips — compared with 380 for a fast-food restaurant or 235 for a convenience store on the same site — though neighbors on Lander Place and Gerard Avenue disputed that the corridor can absorb even modest new traffic. Approval came with conditions negotiated live with the applicant, including bay doors to remain closed during all operations, a minimum of two rows of six-foot Green Giant arborvitae along the rear property line, a solid six-foot fence, no test drives on residential streets, no deliveries before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m., and an applicant evaluation of additional soundproofing. Former Planning Board Chair and Town Councilor Ralph Paige flagged during deliberation that a proposed alternate layout would have placed parking and dumpster enclosures within the residential zone — a use not permitted there — effectively foreclosing the option several board members had preferred.