DANBURY — The city’s most recent personalized vehicle service garage has been authorised on the east close — across city from an rising high-conclude automotive area of interest clustered around Danbury Municipal Airport and Danbury Reasonable shopping mall.
“It seems unusual to do this (approve the newest custom made garage) away from the mall and away from the airport,” joked veteran Zoning Commission member Robert Melillo at a public hearing previously this thirty day period. “We’ve been doing so a great deal of this around there (on the west side), it’s great to be in a distinctive part of Danbury for a modify.”
Melillo was referring to a Ridgefield businessman’s strategies to restore classic and vintage off-roaders at a 6,500-square-foot garage on Shelter Rock Street.
“I recognize everybody’s thing to consider,” explained Robert Madeira at a Nov. 10 zoning listening to, the place his ideas had been accepted. “I enjoy everybody’s time this evening.”
Madeira, a self-described outdated school craftsman, mentioned Danbury’s east conclude has the correct advancement prospective for his organization, Legacy Overland, which specializes in precision restoration of off-roaders, these as Land Cruisers, Mercedes G-wagons and Broncos.
“Mr. Madeira has a very fascinating business,” reported Thomas Beecher, Madeira’s attorney, during the listening to. “He does some perform on traditional automobiles but principally the small business is off-street design vehicles.”
The Zoning Fee was fascinated less in the enterprise product than how it would affect the rest of the community, which is zoned for light industrial use.
“The retail sale of vehicles is strictly prohibited,” mentioned Theodore Haddad, the zoning fee chairman.
“We fully grasp that,” Beecher reported.
To a question about irrespective of whether Madeira would agree to the situation that no autos in maintenance would be parked outdoors, Beecher also agreed.
“To be truthful, these cars and the sections are also high priced to depart outside lying all over,” Beecher claimed.
As an alternative, the off-highway cars will be restored in a customized garage with two motor vehicle lifts, a handful of restorers, and “plenty of space,” for all factors of vehicle maintenance and restoration, like entire entire body spray-portray, Beecher stated.
Madeira, who has a workshop in Portugal and established his initial American garage in Greenwich right before shifting to Ridgefield, mentioned he’s drawn to the old school craftsmanship of “restoring the interior and the leather-based, and all the things whatever the consumer would like — that’s what we do.”
Madeira’s garage is the hottest contribution to a expanding pattern of custom made and higher-end auto businesses, typically on the west finish.
In just the last yr, for case in point, the city has permitted new Mercedes-Benz and Infinity dealerships. In addition, a 50,000-sq.-foot vintage car and luxurious auto restoration and storage facility opened, alongside present Porsche and Audi dealerships, significant-end auto garages, and a film director’s company that not long ago started producing $600,000 tailor made sports autos.
Achieve Rob Ryser at [email protected] or 203-731-3342
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