Massapequa car shop barred from auto repairs, judge rules, citing Oyster Bay zoning laws

A Massapequa business must stop operating as an auto repair shop, a Nassau state Supreme Court judge has ruled. 

The owner of JAR Auto Performance Specialists, on North Broadway, sued Oyster Bay in April after the town said it couldn't make automotive repairs at the property without a special use permit. James Danias, who bought the building in 2024, said an auto repair shop and commercial glass facility had been operating there since the 1960s. 

The town said the business ramped up its auto repair work, triggering complaints from residents and town inspection visits that found operations there had violated town code. 

Judge Sarika Kapoor, in an Oct. 14 decision, said the property owner is "enjoined from operating an automotive repair facility at the subject premises, and from operating the subject premises in any manner contrary to the provisions" of Oyster Bay town code.

John Armentano, an attorney for Danias, said his client was "disappointed with the decision,” which he said creates a “difficult financial burden for a small business.”

Danias bought the property for $1.1 million. 

Armentano said it appears the commercial glass element of the business is untouched by the ruling. He said retail use is still permitted on premises.

He said his client is considering next steps, including potentially leasing the site to another business in compliance with town code.

“The decision really prevents auto repair, but there is still a retail component being explored,” Armentano said.

The town issued a violation to the business in May 2025 for its auto repair work. Danias scaled back some of the projects and appealed the town's notice.

During hearings for the appeal, Timothy Zike, deputy commissioner of the town's planning department, said the business started as a glass shop and morphed over time to auto repair, though that use was never legal.

The town changed the zoning for the site in 2006, shifting the area from business to residential. Danias argued the car work should be grandfathered in as a preexisting use. However, town officials said that even in the 1960s an automobile repair shop would've needed a special use permit to operate there. 

The town's zoning board of appeals voted unanimously to deny the appeal.

Danias sued the town in April, arguing the town improperly determined automotive repair work wasn’t allowed.

“The Town of Oyster Bay is pleased that the court acknowledged the Town’s legal authority to protect its quality of life, safety, and character of neighborhoods," Town Attorney Frank Scalera said in a statement. 

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ

Joseph Ostapiuk covers the Town of Oyster Bay and the city of Glen Cove. He joined Newsday in 2023 after spending more than six years at the Staten Island Advance.