Motoriot faces action from two town agencies

KENT, Conn.—Motoriot, a car dealership at 21 Bridge St., is facing possible action from two town agencies for violations at the site.

At the same time, First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer has called for no parking signs to be placed on the west side of Elizabeth Street to alleviate parking issues that residents there allege are caused by the business.

Land Use Administrator Tai Kern brought a litany of issues regarding the business before the the Planning and Zoning Commission at its last meeting and said that tempers have risen even further since then.

Jason Doornick, a co-owner of the business, was asked about the allegations but declined to comment. 

Kern reported the biggest complaints relate to offsite parking, particularly along Elizabeth Street, where residents have objected strenuously to employee and other vehicles being parked in front of their homes and mailboxes. 

“Everyone seems to be more aggressive,” Kern said this week. “I’ve talked extensively with those who came forward but no one wants to put their complaints in writing for fear of retaliation and having cars parked all over in front of their homes. Two people on Elizabeth Street have lost patience, though, and have now come forward.”

The issue has been difficult to control as parking has been allowed along the street in the past and Doornick stated categorically at a previous Planning and Zoning Commission meeting that he would park cars where he liked. He said that First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer had agreed that parking is a townwide issue and he could park anywhere, a statement Lindenmayer denies.

Parking is a problem throughout the community, so the issue is not clear-cut. Kern said businesses are supposed to be contained within the boundaries of their locations, both for inventory and employee parking. She said Lindenmayer has agreed to allow Resident State Trooper Vicki Donohoe to run VIN numbers on cars to determine if any of them are owned by Motoriot. 

“That would be helpful if it becomes a court case,” Kern said. “We would need proof they are parking vehicles offsite.”

Lindenmayer also ordered no parking on the west side of the street.

In September, Kern informed the owners, Doornick and Charles Narwold, that the monthly car shows they were advertising at their business location would require a special event permit. The men proposed to hold “Roast and Rides” events with classic cars, coffee and food trucks to attract patrons to the town.

The notice that they would be in violation of their recently approved site plan arrived shortly before the first event, which was planned for Saturday, Sept. 27. Doornick appeared before the October Chamber of Commerce meeting and said that he did not realize he had to have a special event permit and that he had been advised that if it were Chamber-sponsored, he would not need the permits.

“We would like to design an event centered around classic cars,” he said, “and had 70 cars lined up for the first show. We had to cancel it at the last minute, even though an online flyer about it had been shared 6,000 times.”

He showed Chamber members a mock-up of a map that could be distributed at the events, directing visitors to other businesses in town that offer food, shopping opportunities and the like, arguing that the map could spread the impact of the visitors across the community. “It would make it about the whole town and not just our business,” he said.

Chamber President Philip Fox said he later met with Doornick to discuss the issue. Fox approved of the concept of Doornick’s proposal but said he had not put together a complete package.

“He has the idea, but now he has to implement it,” Fox said. “I gave him some guidance, and we will revisit it [later in the winter].”

The question has arisen, however, whether the partners actually did cancel the car show. Kern told the Planning and Zoning Commission that the Health Department inspected the site because food was being sold and that the event had gone forward. On that same day, several complaints were received about Motoriot cars being parked along Route 7, some marked as being for sale. 

Kern noted that Motoriot’s zoning approval is locational with all business to be conducted on site. Inventory, customer and employee parking are to be contained within its borders.

When approached, Doornick argued that the Catholic church, also on Bridge Street, has been using the roadway for parking, but Kern researched the files and found the church predates zoning and no parking plan is in place.

In addition to the notice of violation for the car show, she said that during an inspection for fire code compliance, Fire Marshal Tim Limbos discovered that an apartment over the business is being used without a certificate of occupancy. Limbos notified Building Inspector Joseph Manley, who, pursuant to state building codes, sent an order on Sept. 29, to discontinue use of the space and to obtain the required permits for occupancy. 

The men were given 30 days to take proper corrective actions to abate. As of this week, no permits had been taken out. The owners have the right to appeal the order.

On the other side of the equation, if they fail to comply, the building official can take legal action, with possible consequences of fines of at least $200 and not more than $1,000 and/or not more than six months in jail.

Kern reminded the PZC members that as a condition of the most recent site plan approval, the owners would return to modify the parking plan once the apartment was occupied, which they have not done.

Resident Melissa Cherniske asked whether the conditions for approval of the most recent site plan have been met, and Kern said the business has never been in compliance for either of the approved site plans. 

The Commission agreed that a cease-and-desist order should be issued if the owners move forward with another car show. If a cease-and-desist is issued, the owners can appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals. If the ZBA upholds the order and it is violated, the town can go to court for relief. Motoriot would also have the right to take the case to court.

“The courts can do a lot of different things,” Kern observed, “but it is very expensive. I want the public to know that we are trying to rein them in and have made serious effort to resolve this in a better way.”

Elizabeth Street parking ban imposed

In issuing his order to close the west side of Elizabeth Street to parking, First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer wrote:

“Based on what has been reported, as well as observed, regarding the safety and security of residents [and] pedestrians, and interference with the postal service access to the mailboxes located on the northwest side of Elizabeth Street, I am imposing a parking ban on “all” vehicles (except emergency vehicles) on the west side of Elizabeth Street from the corner of Bridge Street, north to the bend in the street where Elizabeth turns into Lane Street. 

This ban will take effect as of 12:01, Monday, Oct. 27, giving the Town the time to place the appropriate signs and all residents and businesses in Kent the time to adjust their parking plans.

Ticketing and, if necessary, towing of vehicles will occur for anyone violating this order. This ban will remain in effect until further notice and discussion of any action on regulations and ordinances to address the overall parking and traffic issues here in Kent. These issues will be addressed at the next Board of Selectmen’s meeting on 05 November 2025 at 6 p.m.”