Hoover zoning board denies request for used car lot off John Hawkins Parkway

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The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission tonight denied a request to allow a used car dealership on John Hawkins Parkway across from the Walmart Supercenter.

Dozens of residents from the Lakeview neighborhood, which is right next to the 3.5-acre site requested for the car dealership, showed up to oppose the development.

Resident Norfleet Day said the garden home community is not opposed to development of the property. They would rather see something there than the unsightly vacant lot that is there now, but a used car lot is not the most attractive and winsome use of the property, she said.

Residents would rather see offices or small retail establishments, Day said.

Resident Suzy Knighten said a used car lot would disturb their neighborhood with large delivery trucks, lights and noise. Plus, the car dealership’s customers likely would use the Lakeview and adjoining Paradise Acres neighborhoods for test drives, she said.

“It’s a privilege to operate a business in the city of Hoover, but it should not be at the cost of homeowners,” Knighten said.

Martin Evans, an attorney representing the company who wants to open the dealership, Najam LLC, told the planning commission the land has been zoned for “planned commercial” use for nearly 24 years. A new automobile dealership that also sells used vehicles already is allowed in that zoning, so a business that sells only used cars would not have any greater impact on the community, Evans said.

The owner of the dealership is willing to use directional lighting to keep excess light from spilling over into the Lakeview neighborhood and would not use loudspeakers as some residents feared, Evans said.

Plans submitted to the city show a two-story building with 4,680 square feet on each floor. It would have a six-bay service area on the first floor and offices on the second floor. There also would be a 2,520-square-foot showroom and 172 parking spaces, including 117 spaces for car inventory, 37 spots for employees, 15 spots for customers and three spots in the showroom.

Plans also showed a 10-foot-wide undisturbed buffer and 35-foot-wide landscaped buffer between the dealership and Lakeview homes, and Najam LLC plans to add island trees to break up the parking lot with green space, Evans said.

Some residents expressed concern about noise from mechanical work that would be done on the property, but Evans said a used car dealership would have less noise than a new dealership with a service center. Also, the current zoning would allow for a muffler shop, tire shop and brake shop, he said.

When planning commission Chairman Mike Wood asked for a motion about Najam LLC’s request, there was a long, silent pause. Wood asked three times for a motion before Commissioner Carl West made a motion to deny the request.

Hoover Councilman Mike Shaw, who also sits on the zoning board, said because a used auto dealership is considered a “conditional use” of the property, the zoning board must take into consideration the health, safety and welfare of the community.

“The transitional aspect of this property can’t really be ignored,” Shaw said, noting this property is in a transitional area between other commercial businesses along John Hawkins Parkway (IberiaBank, Cadence Bank and Zaxby’s) and the Lakeview garden homes.

Residents made a compelling case that their health, safety and welfare would be negatively impacted by a used auto dealership, Shaw said.

The commission voted 6-1 to deny the dealership, with Nathan Reed casting the only vote against the denial.

Reed said after the meeting he wouldn’t necessarily have voted in favor of the car dealership, but he thought there needed to be more discussion and that they might could have found a way to reach a compromise and make the development work. Perhaps he should have abstained rather than vote against the denial, he said.

Omar Qureshi, who identified himself as the owner of Najam LLC, said after the vote that he was willing to work with residents on issues like lighting, noise and test drives. But now, he likely will have to pursue putting in a new car dealership that also has used car sales, he said. He already has a contract to buy the land and has invested too much money in the endeavor to give up now, he said. “I can’t back out.”

In other business tonight, the Planning and Zoning Commission:

  • Approved preliminary plans for 86 residential lots in the first phase of the Flemming Farms subdivision in Trace Crossings.
  • Gave approval for Mountainprize Inc. and Savage, Savage & Brown to build a RaceTrac Petroleum gasoline station at 2137 Valleydale Road, next to the new BP Circle K that was approved a few months ago.
  • Rezoned property at 830 Municipal Drive from a neighborhood shopping district to a community business district to get the same zoning for all of the 1.7 acres the city owns between Hoover Fire Station No. 4 and the Extra Space Storage facility. The city bought 1.22 of the acres from Jack Nix in December and plans to put a police training facility on the property.
  • Recommended the City Council approve an amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance to make it easier for people to obtain approval for sales of alcoholic beverages when such sales are deemed an accessory use of the businesses, such as restaurants, groceries, convenience stores and pharmacies.