East Longmeadow Zoning Board Continues Firestone Variance Hearing to April 27

EAST LONGMEADOW — March 16, 2026 — East Longmeadow Zoning Board tables Firestone variance hearing, citing a 6-foot building setback from a private road. The board voted unanimously at its March 16 meeting to continue a variance application from Zember Group LLC, a Lakewood, Ohio developer proposing a 6,600-square-foot, eight-bay Firestone Complete Auto Care Center at 546 North Main Street, after members raised safety concerns about the building's proximity to Laundry Place, a narrow right-of-way along the site's eastern edge. The project requires two variances: 19 feet of relief from a 100-foot residential-zone buffer at the rear, and relief from the 25-foot front-yard setback along Laundry Place, where the building would sit just 6 feet from the road. Board member Francis Dean pushed the applicant to shift the structure three to four feet west, which could reduce the Laundry Place variance to as little as 2 feet while costing only two or three parking spaces from the proposed 29-stall lot. The hearing was continued to April 27 at 6:30 p.m., with revised plans due to the board by approximately April 20.