Evergreen Subaru seeks approval to rezone lots and close street

Auburn city councilors gave early support Monday night to a request by Evergreen Subaru to rezone two adjacent lots and discontinue Niskayuna Street, as part of a hoped-for expansion.

“We’re bursting at the seams,” Evergreen owner Doug Weisz told the council. “Through serendipity, we’ve been able to acquire some surrounding properties.”

He said the dealership has been on Center Street for 12 years and is feeling pressure from customers and manufacturers to upgrade, update and modernize.

Weisz said he’d been contacting nearby property owners about the road discontinuance and rezoning. The two properties, 20 Niskayuna St., which the dealership has bought, and 1079 Turner St., which the dealership has an option on, are zoned Suburban Residential and would have to be zoned General Business for the expansion.

Mayor Jason Levesque told Weisz, “We appreciate you investing in the city, and being a thoughtful neighbor.”

Councilors also took a straw vote in favor of a zoning change at 33 Dunn St. from Multi-Family Urban to Neighborhood Business to make way for new office space and a coffee and muffin/doughnut shop.

Both proposed changes will come back to the council for a first reading soon.