February 25, 2026

Items Recommended for Full Council

New Used Car Dealer License, USA Auto Hub, 61 Prospect Street – Recommended 3-0

The committee held a public hearing on a Class 2 used car dealer license for USA Auto Hub at 61 Prospect Street (15 vehicles outside, Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-3pm, Sun closed). This item had been discussed at the previous meeting but required a properly noticed public hearing. No members of the public spoke. The committee recommended approval unanimously.

Items Kept in Committee

Eversource Grant of Location, 10 Oak Street (25 ft conduit) – Kept in Committee

Eversource Grant of Location, 38 Ivaloo Street (62 ft conduit) – Kept in Committee

Both items were held for different reasons — see Committee Discussion below.

Items Discharged Without Recommendation

Eversource Grant of Location, 91 Prospect Street (75 ft conduit) – Discharged 3-0

This item had not yet received a required public hearing, so the committee discharged it without recommendation to the full council so it can be properly noticed for a public hearing and then returned to committee. This item and the Oak Street conduit request involve properties owned by the same developer, which Ward 2 Councilor JT Scott has flagged as having "immense problems over the years" with no active building permits on file.

Committee Discussion

Developer Properties on Oak/Prospect Without Building Permits

The committee took up two Eversource conduit requests (10 Oak Street and 91 Prospect Street) together because they involve properties on opposite sides of the same block, apparently owned by the same developer. Councilor Scott had raised concerns that the property owner claims to be under construction but has no issued building permits. Eversource representative Jacqueline Duffy explained that property owners contact Eversource to request service before permits are necessarily in place, and Eversource begins the process early because getting on the council docket can take months.

Chair Hardt noted that at least one of the properties appeared to have been listed for sale within the past week, reinforcing that there are no approved building plans. She stated the committee should not approve street excavation for buildings without active construction.

Councilor Davis suggested seeking clarification from Councilor Scott on his specific concerns and recommended getting guidance from the clerk's office or Law Department on what the committee can and cannot consider when evaluating grants of location. Duffy offered to flag both work orders internally to prevent any work from proceeding until building permits are issued.

Ivaloo Street Pole and Wire Conditions

The Ivaloo Street conduit request (38 Ivaloo Street) was kept in committee due to infrastructure concerns raised by a resident at a prior public hearing. Chair Hardt visited the site and found double poles at both ends of the short street and wires draped through tree branches. Duffy confirmed she also inspected the site and reported that one double pole already has a new pole installed but is awaiting transfers from other utilities. She said two other poles appear to need replacement in her opinion but was waiting for overhead crew confirmation (crews were deployed to Cape Cod for storm outages).

The committee discussed whether to approve the conduit with conditions requiring pole fixes but decided the scope of needed repairs was still too unclear. Chair Hardt also asked that a double pole on Harrison Street at the Ivaloo intersection be included in any future conditions. The service appears to be for a house rehab rather than new construction, but the committee chose to wait rather than risk approving work before repairs are defined. Councilor Wheeler expressed appreciation for taking the resident's concerns seriously and emphasized that double poles should be treated as temporary measures.

What's Next

• USA Auto Hub license: Goes to full council for approval

• 91 Prospect Street conduit: Will go before full council for a public hearing, then return to committee

• 10 Oak Street conduit: Remains in committee pending building permit activity from the property owner

• 38 Ivaloo Street conduit: Remains in committee pending Eversource's assessment of pole conditions and scope of needed repairs

• Committee seeks input from Councilor Scott on the Oak/Prospect properties and guidance from the clerk's office or Law Department on what factors can be considered in grant of location decisions