Urban Affairs Committee advances Mechanic Street garage permit, 17-unit armory conversion

MARLBOROUGH — September 6, 2023 — Marlborough Urban Affairs splits 4-1 on Mechanic Street auto repair expansion, backs 17-unit Lincoln Street conversion. The committee recommended a special permit for Marco Realty Trust trustee Rick Marino to expand a pre-existing nonconforming auto use at 13-15 Mechanic Street, adding three lifts and two side garage doors within the existing structural envelope, with conditions barring car sales, Sunday operations and outdoor storage. Councilor Laura Wagner cast the lone no vote, warning that the 2014 Marlborough Village District rezoning "sends a mixed message to others who have invested in the downtown area" if waived now. The committee then voted 5-0 to recommend developer George Voriatsis's conversion of the former armory at 358 Lincoln Street into 17 all-electric residential units with 32 parking spaces, heat pumps rated to minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit, and a recorded landscaping easement over 31 Gay Street. Both recommendations head to the Sept. 11 council meeting.