Special Committee on Special Permits and Licensing — June 10, 2026

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I would like to call to order this special committee meeting on special permits and licensing.

It is 6:30 PM on Wednesday, June 10th, 2026.

I am joined in the New Bedford City Council chambers this evening by my colleagues in government Ward 2 Councilor Scott Pemberton, Ward 1 Councilor Leo Choquette, and Councilor at Large and Second Vice President Naomi Carney.

And I am Ian Abreu, Councilor at Large and Chairman of this committee.

I'll ask the clerk at this time, sir, are there any letters to be read into the record?

There is.

I have one letter from Councilor Lopes.

Uh, I am writing to inform you that I will be unable to attend tonight's committee meeting due to a work-related commitment.

Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues and the public Orea, of the reason for my absence.

In a motion receiving places on file, second, made by Councilor Choquette, seconded by Councilor Pemberton.

Anyone on the question?

All those in favor say aye.

Opposed?

The ayes have it.

Note, this meeting is being live streamed and recorded.

City Council and committee meetings can be viewed on the City of New Bedford's homepage under Quick Links, then Meetings.

Alrighty, I'll ask the clerk to read item 1, which is before us.

Item number 1 is a communication.

City clerk, uh, clerk of the city council submitting an application for a new private livery license on behalf of Maria DePina, 28 Windsor Circle, Brockton, Mass., and Maria L. Pires, um, 60 Foster Street, Brockton, Mass., doing business as Sister Express Transport, 109 Robeson Street, New Bedford, Mass.

The term of the license is July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

It was referred here on April 9th, 2026, where it was, um, heard on May 11th, 2026, and was tabled on the same day.

Item number 1 is before you and it remains on the table.

Colleagues in here, motion to remove this item from the table made by Councilor Choquette.

Second.

Seconded by Councilor Pemberton.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

The ayes have it.

Do we have Mr. Pina or Miss Pires here?

Thank you.

Good evening.

Would you mind providing us with your name and address for the record, please?

Good evening.

My name is Maria Paris, 61— uh, 109, um, Robeson Street, New Bedford.

Thank you.

Would you mind just pulling the microphone down a little bit closer to you?

Thank you.

All right, so would you mind just telling us a little bit about your your application here and what you're looking to do?

And then I'll open it up for questions from my colleagues.

Okay, from focus sobre o aplicação, o que você quer fazer?

Do delivery license, license.

Eu quero fazer para milhões, curvas and medical.

Okay, we want we are applying for a delivery license.

Sir, if you wouldn't mind just going to the microphone, just for the record so we can be clear.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

So we are applying for a livery license.

We want to do medical transportation, school bus.

Okay, thank you.

I'll open the floor to questions from my colleagues at this time.

Questions, anyone?

Chair recognizes Councilor Carney on her first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Um, and, um, how many vehicles will you be having and where will they be parked?

2.

And a driveway.

So you have a driveway, so they will not be parked on the street, on Robeson Street, they'll be in your driveway?

Correct.

Okay, do you own the house?

No, rent.

You rent the house and the landlord said it was okay for you to utilize the driveway?

Yes.

Okay, and do you have other tenants in that, on Robeson Street in that house?

Yes.

And are they allowed to use the driveway also?

Yes.

So how many, How many parking spaces are in that driveway?

It's 3.

Correct.

And then there are other, how many tenants in the house?

Oh, okay, they're in the first floor, the other tenant on the second floor.

Is it a 2-family home?

Yeah.

It's a 2-family home.

So the other ones, so another renter might, parking on the street while you utilize the driveway for your vehicles?

Oh, okay.

Uh, the driveway can take up to 3 cars.

Yeah, so they'll be using 2, and there's one more, uh, place for them, right?

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Council Chair recognizes Councilor Choquette on his first.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Good evening, ladies and, and sir.

Um, just a quick question.

Uh, Do you plan on expanding the business at any time in the next year, or are you going to stay with the same amount?

Yes.

Yes.

Okay.

So in that case, if they needed more parking or they had more vehicles, would they have— Mr. Chairman, would they have to come back to us, or how would that work?

Sorry about that.

Yes, I thought I was on.

Uh, they would because of, uh, they would need the appropriate parking infrastructure in place.

So that'd have to be, uh, that'd be through the clerk's office, but we would litigate that here as a body at that point.

Right now it passes muster.

Sure.

Because it's one vehicle.

So, okay.

Yeah, 2.

I'm sorry.

So yeah, just in case, just so they know, if, if you do expand, which, listen, we want to see businesses grow and thrive, so, but just realize that when you get to that point, if you need more cars, you'll, you know, we'll, we'll have to come back to us and we'll have to figure out how you're going to do the parking again.

But I, I wish you the best.

Yep, I know.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, uh, Councilor.

Um, folks, I just— for the record, um, your application says one vehicle, but the clerk said that, uh, and maybe I didn't hear, he said the in his notes you had said you have 2.

So was it 1 or 2 vehicles you're going to have as part of this business?

It is 2.

Okay, so I'll just fix that.

So it is 2 on the record?

Okay.

Yeah, 2.

Okay, thank you.

Any other questions for this applicant?

All right, hold on one, um, no.

Yeah, uh, you know, that's, that's probably correct, um, speaking with the clerk.

So So this is what we're going to do.

Um, I'm taking it that the body wants to refer this off for a positive recommendation.

Uh, I would ask for a motion, uh, to amend this application.

Uh, the chair recognized Councilor Carney for— yeah, point of information.

Yes, ma'am.

Can we as a body amend it after they fill the license with the clerk's office?

Because that was filed with the clerk's office.

Yes.

So that's the clerk's paperwork.

Are we able— is Can we actually do the amendment, or does it have to go back to the clerk's office and come back?

All right, so this is what we're going to do, uh, because they're here, they're from Brockton, and we've tabled it.

I don't want to send them out tabled again and have them come back next month.

I'm going to take a brief recess.

I'm going to call legal counsel.

He's out of town, right, but he's available for a phone call.

So are you okay if I take a brief recess?

Yeah, instead of bothering legal counsel, why don't you just— could you just text Clerk Farias?

Well, I, I can call— I can call either one of them, but I have to take a recess regardless.

So, oh yeah, well, I thought that, you know, it'll be a quick recess.

No, no, I just thought that, yeah, um, David was on vacation instead of bothering him.

No, but I mean, yeah.

All right, so I'm gonna take a brief recess.

All right, we're gonna take a brief recess.

It is 6:37, and I'll be right back.

Just sit tight for a second, guys.

25th.

Okay, all right, it is 6:39 PM.

We are back from recess.

So just to catch everybody up and get everybody up to speed, our clerk of committees did check with our city clerk, um, and we can indeed make the amendment of this application through the clerk's office here on the floor to refer to the full city council.

So at this time, the chair is going to recognize Councilor Carney for the motion.

So I'd like to make a motion to amend the new livery license for express transport from 1 vehicle to 2 and then refer out the, the recommendation for a positive approval to the full City Council.

Made by Councilor Carney.

Seconded by Councilor Pemberton.

Anyone on the question of the motion for the amended language?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

The ayes have it.

Okay, Miss DePina, Miss Pires, you have received a positive recommendation from this committee this evening.

This item will be on the City Council agenda on June 25th at 7 PM here in the council chamber.

So if you want to come to watch the final vote, uh, of your referral, it'll be heard here for a vote for final action on June 25th at 7 PM right here in these chambers.

Okay, thank you.

Have a great evening.

All right, the chair will ask the clerk to read item 2.

Item number 2.

Item number 2 is a communication.

City Clerk, Clerk of the City Council submitting an application for a new private livery license on behalf of Fabio J. Teixeira DeGrasse, doing business as Grassa's Solutions Transportation, 175 Hemlock Street, New Bedford, Mass., license to expire on June 30th, 2026.

Um, it was referred here on May 12th, 2026, but the chair has something to read.

Uh, I, I do.

So, um, for, um, for items number 2 and 3, because they're both of the same, uh, applicant Because Mr. DeGrassa will not have sufficient time to utilize delivery license before its June 30th expiration date, through no fault of the city council, there are some changes that are going to have to be made on this item.

Once we've heard the applicant and they have spoken about this item, and if we were to give this item and this applicant a positive recommendation to the full New Bedford City Council for approval.

If you see a communication packet, it says the license is set to expire on June 30th, 2026.

So we would need to amend item 2.

The date now for the renewal period, or the activation period, would have to go from July 1st, 2026, beginning of this fiscal year, through June 30th, 2027.

So at that point If it is the will of the body to send this out positively, I'll look for that motion at that time.

We're going to amend this to what I just said, and I can, I can remind and rehash the language if I need to as well.

So I need a motion to receive and place on file item 2.

Motion received and placed on file, made by Councilor Choquette, seconded by Councilor Pemberton.

Anyone on the question?

All those in favor say aye.

Opposed?

The ayes have it.

Mr. DeGrasse here.

All right, sir, same drill.

Tell us a little bit about what you're looking to do and we'll go from there.

I am interested in doing medical transportation and school bus.

Okay, anything else, or is that pretty much the deal?

That would be pretty much— okay, colleagues, questions?

Councillor Carney?

So same questions that we always ask.

How many vehicles are will you be utilizing, and where will you be parking them?

So I'm interested in starting with 2 vehicles, and I will be parking them at my residence at 175 Hemlock Street.

And is that, um, do you have a driveway?

Yes, I do.

So you'll be parking both your vehicles in the driveway?

Correct.

And will you be driving?

Yes.

Very good.

That's all I have.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, madam.

Anyone else for this applicant?

Chair recognizes Councilor Pemberton on his first.

Yeah, so is that the— I, I, is that the same address from the previous?

No.

Yeah, item 1.

No, this is different.

Okay, that's right, it was Robeson Street.

All right, all right.

Yeah, item 1's— yes, I withdraw.

Yeah, no problem.

Is that it, Councilor?

Point of information.

Chair recognizes Councilor Showcat on his first.

Good evening, Mr. DeGreco.

I— no question per se, just wanted to wish you the best of luck.

Thank you very much, I appreciate it.

All right, thank you, Councilor Choquette.

Anyone else for this applicant?

All right, so at this point, the chair will be, uh, entertaining a motion to send this item to the full New Bedford City Council for a positive recommendation amending the dates from July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2027.

To amend the, uh, the dates from June 30th, 2026, and instead have it be July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2027, and refer to the full city council.

Made by Councilor Choquette.

Seconded by Councilor Pemberton.

Anyone with a question?

All those in favor say aye.

Opposed?

The ayes have it.

Okay guys, so same deal as I told the prior applicant.

June 25th will be the final vote for your application here in the full New Bedford City Council in this room at 7 PM.

So if you can make it, that'd be great.

If not, the clerk's office will notify you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

All right, so with that being said, item 3 is now null and void.

I'll entertain a motion to waive the reading and take no further action on item 3 and refer to the full city council.

Item 2A, Amendment Number 3, take over the whole deal for their action.

Moved by Councilor Choquette, seconded by Councilor Pemberton.

Anyone on the question?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

The ayes have it.

Seeing there's no other business before us, motion to adjourn.

Made by Councilor Pemberton, seconded by Councilor Choquette.

Anyone on the question of adjournment?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

The ayes have it.

We are adjourned at 6:45 PM.

Have a great evening, everyone.