KENT, Conn. — After two years of non-compliance issues with the owners of Motoriot, a custom car dealership on Bridge Street, the Planning and Zoning Commission agreed last week that a cease-and-desist order should be issued.
Zoning Enforcement Officer Tai Kern issued the order Wednesday, Oct. 29, and received confirmation that it had been received on Thursday, Oct. 30. The firm has until Thursday, Nov. 13, to appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) before further action can be taken.
Kern acknowledged that she told the PZC that the owners had 30 days to appeal but later discovered that Kent’s regulations are stricter than the state’s and that the window for appeal is 15 days. She said she had received no communication about an appeal as of Thursday, Nov. 6.
If the issue is not settled before the ZBA, the town can take the business to court, which has the power to impose fines.
Jason Doornick and Charles Narwold, owners of the business, established Motoriot at 21 Bridge St. two years ago without obtaining appropriate permits and have since failed to meet multiple conditions imposed by Planning and Zoning.
Before deciding to act last week, the PZC heard testimony from residents of Elizabeth Street about the difficulties they have had with the business owners.
The PZC has approved two site plans for the business, but the owners have complied with neither. Zoning regulations require that business operations be confined to the business’s location, accommodating inventory, customer parking and employee parking. Instead, the Motoriot employees have parked on Elizabeth Street, often creating inconvenience for people living there.
Elizabeth Street residents Barry Ennis and Atessa Helm, president of the HOA for the 19-unit Riverview housing development, described their efforts to resolve the issue with Doornick. They described his increasingly defensive and vindictive behavior when he was asked to preserve parking spaces for persons living on the street, to not let an employee park a truck that leaks oil on the street, and to avoid parking in front of driveways or in front of the Riverview mailboxes.
Helm reported that there are elderly residents at Riverview and that “a bunch of cars parked there every day” taking up any space residents had for visitor parking or for mail delivery. One resident is handicapped, she said, and a parking space in front of the building is the best place for him to access the building.
“I spoke to Charles and Jason, and they were both polite,” she said. “I explained that we used the spots on either side of the mailboxes for parking and that another is used by a resident with a handicapped husband. They said they would park elsewhere but a couple of months later I got a whole lot of complaints.”
When she approached Doornick again, she alleged that he became “extremely aggressive,” saying he didn’t care if older people had trouble parking and didn’t care about easier access for the husband. “From the next day, the truck with leaking oil was parked in front of the lady who needed easy access. I wasn’t expecting that level of aggression and spitefulness,” she said.
Helm also said that narrow Elizabeth Street is overtaxed when school buses are delivering and picking up students in the morning and afternoons. With no parking posted on one side and public parking on the other, the street is too narrow for both parents and buses to access the school.
Darlene Brady, also a resident of Elizabeth Street, urged the commission to look at, review and “enforce to the best degree you can” the site plan for the business. “Enforcement shouldn’t just be kicked down to another area,” she said.
But the process of enforcement is not easy, according to Kern. “It’s very difficult,” she said. “They are supposed to make arrangements for their cars on site. We know exactly what is approved so spill-over is a zoning violation—but we have to correlate it with proof. We have to know for sure it’s their cars. I can’t determine that, but a state trooper can.”
First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer, who two weeks ago directed that the south side of the road be posted for no parking, thus eliminating parking in front of the mailboxes for Riverview, has also directed the resident state trooper to run VIN numbers to determine who is parking along the street.
He told his Board of Selectmen Wednesday night, Nov. 5, that he has had an email from Doornick and the businessman expressed interest in cooperating. “I think we have worked out the issues that were really causing the problem,” he said. “The business understands its responsibility to adhere to its site plan. Motoriot said it would take care of the problem car [leaking truck].”
He said he will decide next week whether to remove the no parking signs and will continue during the remaining days of his administration to work with the fire department to create additional municipal parking.
Kern said her observations of the business site and parking on Elizabeth Street reveal it “looks better,” but she remains skeptical. “He always agrees to comply and then doesn’t,” she said.
In any event, parking was only one of the business’ violations. It has five years to implement its most current site plan, but in the meantime is supposed to comply with the first, less expansive, plan approved by the PZC. It has not complied with that either.
The business is using an upstairs apartment that has not received a certificate of occupancy. Before the apartment was to be used, the business owners were supposed to return to the PZC to modify its site plan a third time to provide spaces for the tenants. Testimony at the PZC meeting revealed that the owners are also parking vehicles in the prescribed fire lane and in the designated handicap spaces.
Kern told the Planning and Zoning Commission that she has proof that the company held a car show despite being sent a notice of violation prior to the event. “The intensity of use by this business has been misrepresented to the Planning and Zoning Commission,” she said.
“It seems like they are creating additional problem by holding car shows,” she told commission members. “I do have evidence of that. There have been other complaints of them parking inventory on Route 7 on weekends as advertising. They have QR codes on them.”
Kern described the issue as “a shame.”
“It’s a cool business and these kinds of violations are so easy to fix,” she said. “They’re vehicles, they are on wheels, just move them. It’s not a big ask—the commission approved what they asked for.”
She said that even if the business eventually receives a certificate of zoning compliance the enforcement order will still stand and can be enforced if further violations occurred.
Did you talk to Dornick? What’s his side of the story?
Hey Leland, it’s Jason.
I appreciate your comment, and this finally pushed me to say something publicly, because people deserve the full story.
I’ll start with the obvious. Kathryn Boughton has written about our business in a consistently one-sided way. I approached her directly about a month ago at a Chamber meeting where I was trying to work with the town on a car show that would involve multiple local businesses. I asked her why she has never once reached out to hear our side, never visited our shop, and always chooses to write negatively about us instead of balancing the picture with the good we do here. We help people who can’t afford repairs, we assist locals with car trouble at no cost, we work with schools, and we put a lot of time into being community-minded.
Her response was, word for word, “you are just a nuisance to this town.” The moment she said that, it was clear that her mind was made up long before she ever attempted to understand who we are or what we’re doing. Additionally after asking why she would do this and not choose to help local businesses and write more balanced articles she stated, “This is public information and I can do what I want with that information.” I wasn’t very fond of this and asked her to reach out so she could get our side. Well, that day has not come.
The truth is simple. We’re learning as we go. We’re a new business, and this property came with a lot of complications and history long before we arrived. From the beginning, we received almost no guidance from the town on how to navigate the rules or correct inherited problems. I asked for written help, clarity, direction. I spoke at meetings. I tried to collaborate. The consistent answer was to “figure it out.” Not exactly helpful when you’re trying to do the right thing. I have gotten irate at times and its perceived as being aggressive or reckless. We are searching for a hand to hold and for answers. Frantically running against a clock. The town has shown relatively good patience with us but the guidance has and is still very poor. On that note, Tai is a great person. She takes great pride in what she does and has been with us since the beginning. We have had our ups and downs with her and the Zoning Commission but overall I must say she has shown an equal care for her job and for helping us. Same goes for Marty. A team player and wonderful to speak to. He will have big shoes to fill once he’s retired from his position.
We want to be in compliance. We’ve always wanted that. It’s never been about defiance. It’s about trying to run a business, learn the process, renovate a long-neglected building, and contribute to a town we genuinely care about. This is a 75+ year old structure. Phewww are there some cobwebs.
Now the parking issue. Parking in Kent has been messy for years, long before we arrived. We had employees parking on Elizabeth Street the same way employees from many businesses park throughout town. As soon as we did, the complaints began. We moved our cars. Then more complaints. Moved them again. More complaints. Mind you were talking about three cars sometimes 2… that were parked there at any given time, and somehow this was still unacceptable.
The main source of hostility (not in the beginning) came from one resident, Barry Enis. He repeatedly complained no matter where we parked. He eventually came to our shop yelling at employees to a point where we had to call the police. That interaction, like several others, is on video because we realized we needed to protect ourselves. We’ve been accused of being aggressive but the reality is the opposite. Anyone who knows me, or even my crew, knows we don’t raise voices. We love amicability. Problem, solution. Tit for tat. I deal with problems calmly, and I teach my team to do the same. They are angels.
One employee, very new at the time, had a truck that leaked oil for a short period. That part is true. We addressed it immediately and paid for his repair. Wanting to clean the oil leaks, Mr. Enis permanently parked his cars (BMW x5 and a Land Rover) on Elizabeth street where the oil leaks occurred (mainly) and disallowed us to clear that spot. Mr. Enis became the spokesperson for Elizabeth street and instead of simply letting us know, he wrote anonymous posts on forums hiding his name, stating he would send photos to police and the DMV, handwritten notes on cars, and constant attempts to escalate things far beyond what was necessary. It became very clear that the goal wasn’t to solve a small problem. The goal was to get us off the street entirely and to issue a punishment.
We also dealt with accusations that we blocked access for elderly residents, which is not true. The person who made that claim is on video purposely blocking our driveway with her own vehicle while accusing us of doing the same. During one interaction I said I didn’t “care,” but that was in reference to the specific complaint about two or three legally parked cars on a public street. Not about elderly people and not about residents as a whole. That part was conveniently twisted for the benefit of the article or in support of “complaints.”
The bigger issue here is that certain people have chosen their narrative. No matter what we do right, only the negative assumptions get amplified. Kathryn’s reporting has added to that pattern. She lives close enough to walk to our shop but has never once stepped inside to see what we’re building, how much work we’ve put into fixing up a 75-year-old property, or how much heart goes into what we do, our non profit work, our classes for children to learn about cars, free help for residents. Plenty can attest to this.
We’re not trying to disrupt anyone’s life. We’re building something creative and unique, something that brings people to Kent and gives locals a place they can be proud of. A shop that’s more of an experience, a museum, a venue for adventure. A business that values experience, storytelling, community, and craftsmanship.
We’re just hoping that people take a moment to hear our side, understand the situation beyond a single angle, and give us room to keep improving and contributing. We don’t want drama. We don’t want conflict. We want to build cars, help people, and add to Kents endless charm.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Jason
Yes, twice. He declined to comment.
Thank you, Kathryn, for the fearless reporting. Kent is truly blessed with such courageous journalism.
MOTORIOT is committed to a long-term partnership with the Town of Kent. Though I’m originally from Central Connecticut (West Hartford), Kent has been my workplace for several years now, and I’m incredibly grateful for the chance to build a business here.
We’re focused on contributing; creating jobs, restoring historic vehicles, bringing new energy to the local economy, and engaging openly with residents and town leadership. We’re still growing and still learning, and we’re committed to doing so in conjunction with our local gov.
Our goal is simple: to be a positive, reliable part of this community for years to come.
Thanks for your time.
-Charlie Narwold (Jason Doornick’s other half / public enemy number #2)
This is a great article and they should be held accountable. Your news is so helpful and very well written!!
These guys need to be left alone. I can only imagine how much of what was written is just misinformation and a massively inflamed version of whatever transpired.
Nothing has been misrepresented. If you wish to verify the information you can view the recordings of the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings or read the minutes, all of which are available on the town’s website.
Hey Leland, it’s Jason.
Thanks for the comment. It pushed me to finally share our side because most people haven’t heard it.
I’ve spoken to Kathryn Boughton directly. She has never visited our shop, never asked for our perspective, and has consistently written about us in a one-sided way. When I asked why she doesn’t report on the good we do in town, her response was, word for word, “you are just a nuisance to this town.” She also told me she can “do whatever she wants” with public information. After that, it was obvious her mind was made up long before learning anything about us.
We’re a new business working through an old property with decades of issues, expanding a business and giving gainful employment to nearly a dozen individuals. We’ve asked for guidance from the town since day one and were repeatedly told to “figure it out.” Its almost as if being gaslit was their way of solving the accountability and responsibility these people have to helping businesses get situated in this town. Some members of the town staff have actually been helpful and patient, like Tai and Marty, and I give them full credit for that.
What we’ve never been is blatantly defiant. We have stood up, confronted people in power on rules, regulation and guidance. We have broken zoning, yes. This is true. Intentionally? No. We are learning how to settle into this property and to grow our business. Plenty of other businesses break zoning every day, why is the spotlight on us? One subtle change that has no actual affect on anyone causes a massive uproar and makes us public enemy # 1. We are doing everything we can to be in compliance.
The parking situation has been exaggerated far beyond reality. Parking in Kent has always been a challenge for businesses. Our employees used Elizabeth Street the same way employees of other businesses use Main Street. We’re talking about two or three cars at most. Yet the same two residents complained no matter where we parked. We moved the cars multiple times and still received complaints.
One resident, Barry Enis, escalated things to the point of yelling at our staff, leaving notes, posting anonymously online (hiding his identity when writing complaints), and threatening police involvement. We eventually had to call the police for our safety, and these interactions are recorded. Claims that we blocked elderly residents are also untrue, statements also made about me saying i didn’t care about the elderly… I mean come on. I’d just ask for the evidence of this instead of what seems like arbitrary claims. The person making this claim was recorded blocking our own driveway with her vehicle and attempting to hold us captive while there was NO active infringement of any kind.
While all this was happening, Kathryn’s reporting amplified the negativity without ever once stepping inside to see what we actually do. She hasn’t seen the massive restoration work on the building, learned about the students we teach, scholastic involvement, single parents we help at no cost, the free roadside assistance we provide to locals, or the nonprofit and EV work we’re involved in with the state of Connecticut and Senator Chris Murphy. None of that ever makes it into print.
We’re trying to build something creative and positive for Kent — a destination, a workspace, a place that brings people into town. We’re proud of what we’re building, and we want the community to be proud of it too.
All we ask for is fairness, context, and the chance to be understood before assumptions are made. We don’t want conflict. We want to build cars, support the town, and add to the charm of Kent.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Jason has mischaracterized our interaction and is completely inaccurate in quoting what transpired between us. I did, indeed, approach him on two occasions and he declined to comment both times. His feeling, as expressed to me, is that I should not report the ongoing negotiations he has had with the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Sewer Commission. I do not make up the news; I simply report what is happening.
Your journalism is about as one sided as it can get. You have never posted poorly about businesses in Kent and yet every article you’ve written about motorriot is always negative. You just constantly bring up those issues and blow it out if proportion. He’s right. Why don’t you go there and learn more about them. This hurts business. Foolish choice to electively write like this about any business. This is all over parking disputes and them parking cars on their own property??? What a joke Kathy. I’ve been in Kent for 25 years and what they’re doing is absolute enrichment. Billy Morrison too. So many doors have opened and closed in Kent and being a business owner myself I know how hard it can be to do everything perfectly. Shame on you for not fact checking what people say. Making this harder for them or anyone else you do this kind of reporting for. If you’re such a good reporter and “just report what you hear” then go hear what they have to say.
The Dispatch did, in fact, write a “new business” story about Motoriot when they opened. I did not write the story but, like all such stories it was supportive of a new business in town. Later, I was taken to task by town officials who were disturbed that we had published a story about a business that was operating without permits. Jason Doornick and Charles Narwold have been in business before and know, or should know, about what permits are needed. I have reported the actions of the town’s agencies and never mentioned them outside of that context. When they appeared, I quoted their comments; when their agents appeared, I quoted them–just as I quoted the PZC and Sewer Commission members. If I have not written negative stories about other companies it is because they have not had difficulty adhering to the zoning permits granted to them. When I approached Jason at the Chamber meeting I had hoped to write a positive story about the proposal he had just put forward. He was the one who became aggressive, insisting that his interactions with the PZC should not be reported. I cannot understand why he would believe that actions by the board in reference to other residents and businesses can be recorded but that he should be exempted. I do not enjoy being verbally attacked and I do not intend to engage in any further tit-for-tat comments. Read the official records and see for yourself whether they accurately reflect what has happened.
I was at that chamber meeting. I heard the two of you outside bickering. He walked away from you and you chased him outside and tried to get his attention while he kept telling you to leave him alone. I was there. Right after you told him he was cocky. The whole front half of Wilson’s heard you say that to him. You, Kathy, are lying to yourself if you claim to be only reporting what you hear. You don’t like him. Or them. Either way, I know what I heard that night and watched what you did to him. The nice lady that runs the library was there too. He was talking with her and I’m sure she can attest to this too. Let’s write an article on that and what “we all heard”
This doesn’t educate anyone and your letters don’t do anything but hurt people. Rancid work. Im glad you approved the comment i made above about this being great Journalism. Shows that people can post whatever they want and it doesn’t have to be true.
These are entitled rich kids who have probably spent their lives traveling the world with daddy’s money and never being told no. One of the very first P&Z meetings, the one who identified himself as Mr Dookie on zoom started crying about the whole process being “weaponized” against him because they were asking for a parking plan just like they ask of all businesses. And from there it’s been all downhill. I have watched all the meetings with motoriot and this article is accurate. If you don’t want zoning enforced in town then that’s one thing but if you agree everyone needs to follow the same rules even if your dad is rich then I don’t see what all the crying is about on behalf of motoriot.