Dragone Classic Cars wants to move its Westport and Bridgeport operations to Orange. The company restores antique, rare and special interest vehicles. It says it wants to rent a 66 thousand-foot building located at 5 Connair Rd. from Saunders Legatees, LLC.
Dragone currently has a showroom in Westport and a repair facility in Bridgeport, both of which would be relocated to Orange. Dragone is requesting a used car dealership license for antique auto restoration and sales.
According to Manny Dragone, this third-generation business employees 30 to 40 workers in both locations, but wants this spot so he can have everything under one roof: renovation, sales and auctions.
This is all well and good. But, if you haven’t noticed, there are no car dealerships in Orange. It has historically not been a permitted use in town. Honda and Acura once looked at the area, but moved on to Milford. Repair garages are only permitted in the C-1 District and are prohibited in C-2.