NAUGATUCK — The Zoning Commission last week approved the expansion of an auto sales business to the borough-owned property at 496 Rubber Ave.
The borough has a contract to sell the property across from Naugatuck High School to Harold Murtha, the owner of Tire Pro next door.
The property was previously vacant land, but a fuel tank leak near the brook necessitated extensive remediation, according to Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess.
The hole currently has Public Works Department trucks parked inside it.
Hess didn’t remember the exact sale price of the property, which was negotiated about a year ago.
“It’s an eyesore,” Hess said. “We wanted to sell it get it on the tax rolls and get it cleaned up. The purchase price was not the critical factor in the deal.”
Murtha plans to bring in 2,000 cubic yards of dirt to fill the hole on the property left from the remediation, then cover it with gravel to park cars for sale.
Engineer Scott Meyers said it would take about 100 truckloads of dirt to fill the property and that they would be brought in during the daytime. The trucks will not be going down Brookside Avenue, he said.
Murtha plans to build a concrete block wall at the rear of the property to protect a brook.
Neighbor Mary France of Brookside Avenue expressed concerns about the project’s impact on traffic and noise.
