Residents press council over J & W Auto Sales parking and privacy; city manager says owner complied with initial cleanup

Residents and a councilmember told the City of Live Oak City Council on May 20 that vehicles and storage behind J & W Auto Sales create an eyesore and privacy concerns for nearby homes, and requested no-parking signs and assistance from the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

A councilmember said they had collected petitions from residents on Anderson Street complaining about vehicles parked behind J & W Auto Sales, some with no tags, and shrubbery that will not grow because vehicles are regularly parked on the soil. The councilmember asked the CRA to consider helping fund a privacy fence and asked code enforcement to take action.

City Manager (identified on the record) said he spoke to the owner of J & W Auto Sales and that the owner moved vehicles out of the right of way the next day; he added that code enforcement would address outstanding issues such as vehicles without tags and any unpermitted work on vehicles. The councilmember countered that when they visited the site the following day vehicles were still present and that they had photographic evidence; the councilmember asked staff to document the conditions and pursue enforcement if the owner did not comply.

The council discussed next steps: the councilmember said they would bring the privacy-fence request to the CRA for potential support and asked staff to ensure no-parking signage and enforcement in the affected area. No formal motion or vote was recorded on the agenda item during the excerpt.

The discussion was recorded under the city council item addressing local street and code-enforcement complaints and will return to CRA as a separate agenda matter as requested by the councilmember.