The public hearing was continued until P&Z's next meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, at a to be determined location.

According to Curt Smith of Smith and Company Surveyors, the company made a number of changes as asked for by the commission during the last hearings on the application. Among them, six trees along the property border are no longer being removed, the traffic pattern is being changed so that the entrance and exit are both one-way, a loading area is added on the north side and while there will not be a dumpster, there will be a refuse area. Plantings will be added on a parking lot island and the pavement coverage is being reduced to the required 80 percent.

According to principal owner Fred Valenti, who owns the business through Legends Auto Group, LLC, the business will be mainly an office and showroom area, with no on-site maintenance facilities. All maintenance and preparation of vehicles will be done down the street at Mr. Valenti's current automotive business, which will sell Audis.

Mr. Valenti plans on expanding the Audi dealership, which will be under a separate application. The dealership has been at that location for 20 years, according to Mr. Valenti.

Saab is currently in the Swiss version of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to Mr. Valenti.

"Our experience is that when an automotive manufacturer is in trouble like that, they have a tendency to cut any dealer that doesn't sell their cars exclusively," said Mr. Valenti. "This is a way for us to save our business. We want to show Saab when they come out of bankruptcy that we have a showroom exclusively for them."

P&Z members questioned Mr. Smith on the proposed signage. According to Mr. Smith, the signage will be removed from the current Valenti Motors building and moved down the street, and the size will be reduced slightly to meet current P&Z regulations.

"In addition to a wall sign, there will be a free standing sign on the landscaped island," said Mr. Smith.

P&Z Chairman Dave Minnich questioned the planned uses of the interior, but according to Joan Molloy of Loughland and Fitzgerald Attorneys, the developers will not know what Saab's requirements are until after they move into new ownership, as circumstances could change.

Mr. Valenti stated that the plans are to demolish most of the current building's interior, which was formerly a medical walk-in clinic, to make room for the showroom, offices and delivery area. The bathrooms will not be demolished, he said.

The commission also questioned the exterior of the building, to which Ms. Molloy replied that the same conundrum applied - the developers will not know Saab's requirements until after the move occurs.

Mr. Minnich suggested that the site plan be presented under Saab's current requirements, so that the commission would have something to work with.

Mr. Minnich asked Ms. Molloy to consider coming up with conditions that would prevent any future owner from developing a full automotive dealership that would expand the business into maintenance.

Ms. Molloy suggested that the application be reworded so that any change to the proposed dealership as presented would need to come back before P&Z.

The commission questioned getting the dealership into less than the required five acres, to which Ms. Molloy replied that the proposed dealership would not require five acres. The current site is .68 acres too small for current zoning regulations.

"Saab is a small dealership; we only expect two to three people per day," said Ms. Molloy. "There will be fewer cars and fewer customers, and the maintenance will be done off-site. This is a unique situation, and this site works for this dealership."

P&Z Commissioner Ken Demirs said it was ridiculous that the town's regulations required five acres for a dealership.

"I've been up and down that road [Straits Turnpike]," said Mr. Demirs. "There's no dealership there that's on five acres of land."

Commissioner Ray Rondeau explained that the current regulations require such a large lot so that the commission could control dealerships coming in, by making it require a special permit for any smaller lot of land.

"The issue is not what the commission wants, but what the regulations say," said Mr. Minnich. "We are what we are."