A regional ambulance firm is seeking to set up a satellite office in Belmont on Pleasant Street in the new year.
Arlington-based Armstrong Ambulance Service hopes to build its 10th Boston-area outpost at 1010 Pleasant St. near the back entrance of Star Supermarket, according to a presentation representatives made before the Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday, Dec. 1.
The company is seeking a Special Permit to operate the business.
The company, which began in 1946 by Marine Corps veteran Bill Armstrong, want to store six ambulances inside the existing building on the site while keeping three wheelchair-capable vans outside. There will be no vehicle maintenance or hazardous material storage in Belmont.
The operation will be managed from a 200 sq.-ft. office in the building. There will also be 15 parking spaces for employees.
The Belmont office will allow the company to provide 24-hour emergency response in and around Belmont; its nearest operation is in Waltham.
While it will be a 24/7 operation, the application stated that only one ambulance will be staffed between midnight and 5 a.m. unless there are pending weather conditions that would require more vehicles on the road.
The town can issue a special permit after the ZBA determines the business’ impact on the immediate neighborhood and the greater community. Board member Nicholas Iannuzzi said he would like to see a traffic study conducted on the effect of ambulance trips on the increasingly congested roadway while Chairman Eric Smith said he would like to see a clearer staffing schedule along with a protocol on when the vehicles would use their lights and sirens.
Three residents who attended the meeting – Judith Sarno, Austin Bennett Jr. and Mark D’Andrea, Jr. – spoke in favor of the business coming to Belmont.
The ZBA continued the hearing until January.
Wrong again we do need the firehouses along with a new police station and Dpw complex. Not a bike path or over 2 million for Belmont center, wasted money on schools etc.
Guess we didn’t really need that new fire station on Pleasant Street after all. What drove it was the need to get an ambulance to Winn Brook or Belmont Hill within four minutes (when lack of oxygen to your brain after a heart attack does major damage) — and Armstrong will be able to do that from this new location.
I meant the new fire station on Leonard Street. Sorry.