Photo by Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
This vacant auto shop on Route 30/Lincoln Highway may soon be open for business again, if tenants at the commercial site can work out some parking issues.
By Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
A vacant auto shop along Route 30 in Plainfield may see new occupants soon, depending on how a parking situation can be worked out among local businesses and the village.
Richard Ramirez, owner of R.R. Tire and Auto Repair, is looking to open shop at an empty site at 15924 S. Lincoln Highway. While the vacant business was previously an auto body shop, village code requires a special use permit for anyone looking to open a new auto body and repair service.
The plans for the site were presented at the Feb. 7 meeting of the Plainfield Plan Commission. The business would occupy an existing 1,500 square-foot building.
“There may be some impacts to surrounding properties, primarily in the form of noise generated,” said associate planner Andrew Bogda. “However, staff finds that the noise generated will be mitigated by the storage unit on the property absorbing much of the noise before it reaches the surrounding residential homes.”
Bodga said existing landscaping would also absorb some of the noise produced by the new shop.
However, there were some questions about parking at the site. Members of the planning commission said there seem to be some conflicts with shared parking, which could create a jam of cars on weekends.
Robert Breeding, a representative of the neighboring True Deliverance Apostolic Ministries, said that Sunday hours at the proposed auto shop could be problematic during church services.
“That would interfere with everything,” Breeding said. “We’ve been there for four years.”
Breeding said that attendees at the church are already crunched for parking, with several other businesses already operational in the tight space. Those other businesses, plus widening of the roadway, has forced the church to utilize parking in the rear of the property, behind the buildings on site.
Ramirez said he would be ready to work with the property owner and adjoining occupants to come up with a workable solution on the parking situation.
“I know parking there is a little tight, I have a good relationship with the building owner, I’ve known him for quite some time,” Ramirez told the commissioners. “So, what I would ask from him is to come out and work with us or help us out in drawing the parking space lines… I’m willing to work to make everyone’s businesses as successful as possible.”
Commissioners said they’d like to see a little more information before moving the approval of the special use permit to the full village board.
“With this additional information, I don’t feel comfortable voting on this until we have some more data,” Commissioner Andrew Heinen said.
The item was tabled until the next meeting of the commission.