Americas KO Ineos - Framingham MA

[A1B2C3D4]

Zoning Board of Appeals Agenda is up for KO / Gone for the 10th at 7pm if anyone wants to listen in and report back. https://www.framinghamma.gov/3662/Public-Meeting-Calendar

I have a conflict at that time. If they don't get approval, it could be months more......

 

[carlg007]

Zoning Board of Appeals Agenda is up for KO / Gone for the 10th at 7pm if anyone wants to listen in and report back. https://www.framinghamma.gov/3662/Public-Meeting-Calendar

I have a conflict at that time. If they don't get approval, it could be months more......

I do not know why they would pick a location where they would need to change the zoning to sell cars. I would have thought they would have done their due diligence prior to choosing a location! Having the correct zoning for a particular business activity is kind of a big deal!

 

[Lucabean]

Zoning Board of Appeals Agenda is up for KO / Gone for the 10th at 7pm if anyone wants to listen in and report back. https://www.framinghamma.gov/3662/Public-Meeting-Calendar

I have a conflict at that time. If they don't get approval, it could be months more......

Thanks for the heads up on this; I've got it on my calendar to watch the meeting. I (unfortunately) have a lot of experience listening to these public hearings from another municipality! At least their case is first.

Will report back after the meeting.

 

[AngusMacG]

I do not know why they would pick a location where they would need to change the zoning to sell cars. I would have thought they would have done their due diligence prior to choosing a location! Having the correct zoning for a particular business activity is kind of a big deal!

the location is a dealership already (LEV Kia) just a separate building. I believe Framingham has a bylaw about having 2 class 1 dealers so close to one another. I think that is the issue but not 100%. This may not have been known to KO when they first started the process. They were one of the last dealers to be chosen by INEOS so it was a time crunch for them from the start. Even if they are approved they still have to go before the licensing board as well…I’m guessing that is more of a formality based on the issue they are appealing in the ZBA meeting.

if you want you can send an email in support of the dealership. I plan to do so with something to the effect of: “I am submitting this note in support of agenda item 23-29, 510 Cochituate Road – Gone Enterprises, Inc., D: 4, Z: M-1. I will state that I am not a resident of Framingham but do frequent Framingham and Natick for both work and personal on a regular basis. Knowing the area fairly well I do not believe that the proposed use of this property will alter any one’s perception of the area nor will it result in increased traffic concerns. There already is a dealership there and even tho the entities are separate most people wil not know this to be the case. In addition if you look at the product they are selling the manufacturer is more of a boutique/bespoke type of vehicle. It is a fairly high end vehicle with a fairly niche market it is trying to serve. I would view this as a positive for the City as it is the only dealer that would service the Northern/Eastern New England Area. The next closest dealer is in Danbury CT (roughly 2.5 hours away). In summary I do not think that having another dealership selling this type of vehicle which is complimentary to the existing dealer will have any negative repercussions for the City or it’s residents.”

You can email zba@framinghamma.gov

 

[carlg007]

the location is a dealership already (LEV Kia) just a separate building. I believe Framingham has a bylaw about having 2 class 1 dealers so close to one another. I think that is the issue but not 100%. This may not have been known to KO when they first started the process. They were one of the last dealers to be chosen by INEOS so it was a time crunch for them from the start. Even if they are approved they still have to go before the licensing board as well…I’m guessing that is more of a formality based on the issue they are appealing in the ZBA meeting.

if you want you can send an email in support of the dealership. I plan to do so with something to the effect of: “I am submitting this note in support of agenda item 23-29, 510 Cochituate Road – Gone Enterprises, Inc., D: 4, Z: M-1. I will state that I am not a resident of Framingham but do frequent Framingham and Natick for both work and personal on a regular basis. Knowing the area fairly well I do not believe that the proposed use of this property will alter any one’s perception of the area nor will it result in increased traffic concerns. There already is a dealership there and even tho the entities are separate most people wil not know this to be the case. In addition if you look at the product they are selling the manufacturer is more of a boutique/bespoke type of vehicle. It is a fairly high end vehicle with a fairly niche market it is trying to serve. I would view this as a positive for the City as it is the only dealer that would service the Northern/Eastern New England Area. The next closest dealer is in Danbury CT (roughly 2.5 hours away). In summary I do not think that having another dealership selling this type of vehicle which is complimentary to the existing dealer will have any negative repercussions for the City or it’s residents.”

So the issue is not the actual zoning of the property but the town does not want two dealerships to close together but its okay to have one large dealership just not two smaller dealerships close together? So much for property rights!
I really think this should be approved especially if the property is currently zoned for the intended use.

 

[AngusMacG]

I contacted the Building Commissioner/Inspector who is the primary denial. He provided the attached letters. Based on the ordinances it does violate the use but it seems to me that with a dealer that is grandfathered in and KO not increasing any footprint of the dealership that the ZBA should provide approval. Then again this is local government and you never know what will happen.

https://www.framinghamma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/44439/Framingham-Zoning-Ordinances-March-2023-Update?bidId=

 

[AngusMacG]

I reviewed all the documents posted for this hearing. Looks like they have been fighting this with the building commissioner since October. I am a bit disappointed that this was never mentioned and am concerned that it has taken this long to get on the agenda for the ZBA. That being said it seems to me that the Building Commissioner is a stickler and the town (now a city) passed an ordinance in 1999 preventing 2 dealerships on the same lot but they also changed the zoning which prevents car dealerships in that zone. The current dealership is grandfathered in even though that dealership is a noncorforming use. The interesting thing is that this same location also housed a Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge dealership so at one point there were 4 different manufacturers being sold.

one interesting thing they noted is that their plans are to not have any service done at the dealership as it would be a mobile repair service…This seems a bit out there. They also mention that all transactions would happen online and new vehicles would be delivered to customers. it is interesting reading to say the least.

 

[Krabby]

I wonder if part of the J-C-D allowance is that they fall under the same mfg.

 

[stickshifter]

Having driven through Framingham, I am surprised to hear that there are any zoning laws at all



I'm sure there are some nice parts as well - just not on Route 9!

 

[MidnightCamper]

The Town of Framingham (a city that calls itself a town) is an impossible network of roads. There are two limited access highways and a few major strips running through. I commuted there for ten years and it was awful. I don't know the history of the dealership bylaw but usually bylaws are "reactive" against incursion. There are many malls and large industrial parks. Maybe I'll attend the meeting in my Genzyme Corporation shirt...wearing my blood donor badge from Framingham Union Hospital. It's unfortunate what's happened. We have no way of knowing the cause.

 

[A1B2C3D4]

Zoning Board of Appeals Agenda is up for KO / Gone for the 10th at 7pm if anyone wants to listen in and report back. https://www.framinghamma.gov/3662/Public-Meeting-Calendar

I have a conflict at that time. If they don't get approval, it could be months more......

KO was approved!

 

[Lucabean]

The Framingham Zoning Board of Appeals effectively approved Ko Ineos' (dba Gone Enterprises) application to operate at their location. It sounds like there could be another step with the Licensing Board but that should be a formality.

Their long winded lawyer made the case that this was mostly about estate planning for the family that owns the property/Kia dealership there.

 

[AngusMacG]

Thanks for posting the decision! I was online but hard to jump off for another meeting. I was concerned that’s they wouldn’t make a decision and delay it more.

 

[AngusMacG]

The License commission just met on Monday. I’m hoping they will have another meeting this month> They don’t seem to have a regular schedule for meetings.

 

[MidnightCamper]

The Framingham Zoning Board of Appeals effectively approved Ko Ineos' (dba Gone Enterprises) application to operate at their location. It sounds like there could be another step with the Licensing Board but that should be a formality.

Their long winded lawyer made the case that this was mostly about estate planning for the family that owns the property/Kia dealership there.

Thanks so much for logging in to the meeting for us and posting the decision.

 

[MidnightCamper]

KO was approved!

Thanks for posting!

 

[MidnightCamper]

It's important to remember that Ko Automotive Group owns Lev Kia. It's all the same family.

 

[Ko Ineos Grenadier]

Good morning Ineos Grenadier community! We are pleased to announce the city of Framingham ZBA has voted in favor of Ko Ineos Grenadier in our pursuit for a Massachusetts state Class 1 dealer license. The foundation of our dealership has now officially been solidified, and our Class 1 dealer license issuance is forthcoming. We are now waiting on the city of Framingham to process their decision.

If you are one of our customers who’s been affected by our dealer license delay, we would first like to publicly thank you for your patience, understanding, and ongoing support. This has been a challenging time for all involved parties, and we are so incredibly grateful for all of you.

We will be emailing all our affected customers today with a more detailed document which will outline the next steps of the purchasing process.

Again, on behalf of the Ko Ineos Grenadier team, we thank everyone for their ongoing support! We are very excited to be on this new adventure with you all.

The finish line is in sight!

 

[yodaRN]

I drove over to KO Ineos in Framingham yesterday. No vehicles there at all. The 2 demos they have go home with the current management. I may try to schedule another test drive and ask them about getting on this forum. I'd like to see better communication from them (as I have noted in other posts) regarding deliveries/updates. Relying on communication from INEOS itself is not helpful.

Thinking that a conversation may reveal more information than formal email communications.

I hope you get your Grenedier soon. I live down the street from the Framingham dealership and there are a good 8 Grenediers there on the lot now

 

[AngusMacG]

I hope you get your Grenedier soon. I live down the street from the Framingham dealership and there are a good 8 Grenediers there on the lot now

Yes I ended up buying one from Curry in CT. It was a timing thing due to upcoming travels and the delay in the license.