Onaway business interested in selling vehicles again, has another hearing scheduled
For the owners of the Northern Great Lakes to remerge as a used vehicle dealership in Onaway, they need the city to adopt an amendment to the zoning ordinance and apply for a special use permit.
Mike and Lloyd James would like to rezone their Washington Avenue property from general commercial to highway commercial. To receive a license from the state to sell vehicles, they must first get the property rezoned. A hearing was conducted during the March 19 regular Onaway City Commission meeting to give the public a chance to respond.
When the issue came before the city in late 2005, city officials told the Jameses the lot was not big enough, or conducive for auto sales, but the city would reconsider the request after they acquired additional land. That has taken place.
The Jameses have acquired the neighboring property and demolished the delipitated home which had been there.
ON MARCH 15, Charlie Schaar came in to see city manager Joe Hefele to talk about the issue and to present a site plan that shows an adequate sales lot, customer parking, and a fence to keep down noise.
Hefele wanted to see an adequately surfaced area of at least 1,300 square feet for car sales (per state law) and at least 650 square feet for customer parking (per state law). With the new new site plan, Hefele said he felt comfortable enough to move forward.
City attorney Mike Vogler advised the city commission that there was no guarantee the fence would be constructed, even though Lloyd James pledged during the March 19 meeting to do so. The easiest way
VOGLER SAID there is case law that would prohibit the city from attempting conditional zoning.
A public hearing has been scheduled for April 9 to consider the zoning ordinance change. The notice had to be published in The Outlook 15 days prior to the hearing.
Before the March 19 rezoning hearing, there had been only one correspondence objecting to the plan brought forth by the Jameses. No one appeared during the public meeting in opposition.
Hefele also said he would send a letter to the state to indicate the local businessmen had been working with the city to make the changes needed to get the license.