Neighbors press Mavis Tire applicant over hours, parking and setbacks during joint ZBA/Planning Board hearing

The Town of Brunswick on Aug. 6 heard a joint public hearing for a proposed Mavis Tire motor vehicle repair shop at 721 Hoosick Road, during which applicant representative Kevin Hixson (DL Companies) described design changes and sought area variances. Hixson said the project would place the building at a 25.2-foot rear setback where the code requires 30 feet and would locate a dumpster enclosure 14.77 feet from a yard line where 20 feet is required. He told the board the building would be 6,085 square feet with seven service bays, that the parking count had been reduced to 20 spaces from 23, and that drainage improvements include an oil/grit separator feeding an underground detention system with an outfall to a nearby NYSDOT catch basin.

Neighbors objected to aspects of the proposal and sought enforceable conditions. Victoria and Tim Galvin, who live at 5 Mohawk Avenue, asked who would enforce contractor start times and where workers would park, saying prior work for nearby Quick Check had begun well before allowed hours and blocked school-bus access. "They typically generate 90 to a 105 decibels," the Galvins noted when discussing pneumatic tools, and they urged limits on hours, on-street parking restrictions, and prompt repair of disturbed lawns and roadway trenches after construction.

Other residents raised neighborhood-character and safety concerns. Jim Tachik of 387 Brunswick Road criticized the cumulative effect of recent commercial development on Hoosick Street and urged the board to require street-view renderings, stronger signage and architectural standards for commercial projects. He asked whether the town has a noise ordinance to address ongoing shop noise if garage doors are opened in summer.

Hixson said the applicant has coordinated with town staff about utilities and safety features, that a perimeter six-foot decorative vinyl fence and plantings (approximately 26 evergreens) would screen north-side residences, and that a preconstruction plan could include stamped construction hours and parking requirements for contractors. He described planned erosion-control measures and said the project team had submitted drainage plans to the New York State Department of Transportation and would incorporate town and DOT comments as needed.

After public comment the boards moved to close the in-person portion of the hearing but required the applicant to submit written responses to public comments and town review comments before the next planning board meeting. "Public hearing is closed. However, we will receive additional comments up to the 08/20/2026," the chair said, setting an Aug. 20 deadline for timely written submissions and the applicant's responses.

Next steps: the applicant agreed to provide a single consolidated written response to be shared with both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals; the ZBA indicated it will consider the application at its next meeting, and the planning board will review written materials and responses at its Aug. 20 meeting.