Published: August 08, 2008 10:56 am         

Resident voices zoning issue

Petition looks to require permits for storing inoperable vehicles

DANVILLE — Withner Avenue resident Jeanne Scott, who lives just west of the city limits and east of Bryant’s Auto Parts & Recycling, hopes the city continues to protect the neighborhood she’s lived in for more than 50 years.

It took a step in that direction Thursday night when the Danville Area Planning & Zoning Commission recommended changing the city’s zoning ordinance to allow for yards for storage of inoperable vehicles in the I-1 light industrial zoning district upon issuance of a special-use permit.

The city council will act on the zoning petition Aug. 19.

Bryant’s Auto Parts & Recycling, a scrap metal and recycling business on Warrington Avenue, owns the adjacent east land and began storing vehicles there, but this was not in compliance with city zoning regulations.

CEO Mike Bryant said Danville Township recommended it put up a fence. The business also has property licensing, but had stored the vehicles too far east.

Danville Planning and Zoning Manager Chris Milliken said this type of storage yard is only now allowed in the I-2 heavy industrial zoning district.

This, however, would require a zoning change for Bryant’s or another business in another location, and could open up the property to “anything and everything under the sun in that zoning class,” Milliken said. This includes: concrete plants and other industrial uses such as for ethanol, metal manufacturing, furniture, lumber and petroleum, Milliken said.

Milliken said a special-use permit limits a property’s use and allows the commission and city council to place restrictions they feel are necessary on the permit. This can include specific buffering.

“We have a quiet neighborhood and we can try to live with Bryant’s,” Scott said.

She said sitting on her sun porch, however, in which her back yard faces Bryant’s, can be noisy in the mornings. Vehicles parked on the east side of property were not in compliance with city zoning.

“I was not happy about that and all the noise we’ve not had before,” Scott said. “The city made him move everything.”

She said the smashing and moving noises were noticeable for a long time five days a week, but now it’s been seven days sometimes and as early at about 5:30 a.m. She said it has cut back on Sundays, which is a beginning.

She said Bryant has told her the business wants to be a good neighbor.

“I’m hoping they might decide to plant some greenery,” Scott added.

The fence is not enough of a buffer, with trailers sticking up above it.

She’s also worried about the stripped-down cars collecting water and attracting mosquitoes and rats.

“We’re just trying to do this the right way,” Bryant said. He’s not interested in having the property zoned for I-2.

“This strictly would be for car storage before they’re hauled off,” he said.

Small parts can be taken off the vehicles beforehand.

Bryant hopes the city would approve a special-use permit in the next month or so. He added about the business-owned trailers, they are like any others parked on a business’ property.

“I don’t see a problem with those trailers,” he said.

Bryant added that the business also has cut its hours on Sunday to help with the noise of cranes grabbing iron. He said they are also keeping the property mowed better.

“I think we’ve been more than compliant,” he said.

Also Thursday, the commission:

-- Recommended approving Tammy S. Amos’ request for a special-use permit to place a mobile home at 1744 Batestown Road in the A-1 rural agriculture zoning district.

The location is outside city limits, but within the mile and a half zoning jurisdiction of the city. It’s west of the city about a quarter of a mile south of Route 150, past the old Diamond Elementary School.

-- Continued discussing other proposed zoning ordinance revisions.