The Cornelia Commission approved the first reading of an amendment to an automotive repair facility ordinance during its Tuesday meeting. The amendment would limit the number of cars waiting to be repaired at the facility.
The limitation could impact older local businesses. Businesses that have been in operation for several years may have to make accommodations should the ordinance pass as written.
The amendment would restrict to four the number of vehicles waiting on the property per each 10-foot by 20-foot enclosed bay. It would mean that repair shops could not work on vehicles outside.
The commission discussed the limitation. For a repair shop with six enclosed bays, the shop would be allowed to keep 24 vehicles on its lot at any given time.
The existing ordinance does have a provision for those vehicles that need more time; they can be secured in a fenced-in lot.
Business owner concerns
During the work session, Cornelia Mayor John Borrow stated that he had already heard from a business owner who had concerns. Not necessarily for his business but for other repair shops in the city.
According to Borrow, the issue for some owners is supply chain concerns. What is normally a two- or three-day repair now takes months due to delays in getting the parts. He was told that a transmission replacement can now take months. These delays cause a backlog in repairs and increase the number of vehicles at repair shops.
City Manager Dee Anderson had heard from another mechanic with the same concerns. That mechanic explained to Anderson that he had to wait three months for a headlight assembly to repair a vehicle.
The commission expressed concerns that some of these repair shops start to resemble junk yards over time due to the number of vehicles on the property.
Not a new issue
The issue of the number of vehicles parked at auto shops is not a new one for the commission. According to Commissioner Mark Reed, the commission is having to address safety, citizen complaints, and the way the city entrances look.
One of the shop’s parks vehicles right against the white line of the roadway. According to Anderson, the city can’t do anything about it because the city doesn’t have the right of way in that area.
The commission agreed that they did not want to create a hardship or target any existing businesses but needed to set a standard going forward. They agreed to move forward with the current four-vehicle per-bay limit as written but wanted to wait to hear from businesses over the next month and at the public hearing before making a final decision on the vehicle limitation.
Anderson stated that after the commission approved the first reading, code enforcement officials would be taking letters out on Wednesday. The city wanted to inform affected businesses as soon as possible to get their feedback and input.
