The Sweet Home Planning Commission on a unanimous vote approved conditional use permit CU 25‑01, allowing a resident to obtain a dealer certificate for wholesale, online-only vehicle sales so long as no wholesale vehicles connected to the business are stored at the home.

Staff told the commission the application began as a home-occupation permit but required review as a conditional use after staff learned a DMV dealer license was required even for internet-only sales. Angela, planning staff with the Sweet Home Community and Economic Development Department, said the site sits at the end of an access easement through Tax Lot 700 on Third Avenue and that the property includes roughly 700 square feet of off-street paved parking and an attached garage.

Opponents at the hearing raised concerns about driveway blockage, neighborhood congestion and emergency access along the shared easement. Ken Perez, a nearby resident, said he had experienced tow trucks blocking his driveway. Joe Latham, who lives behind the site, said children frequently play in the rear yards and opposed vehicle-related activity in that location. Cindy Farrell, speaking for Earl Maine, said she and her neighbor were "totally against this" because of the tight lots and potential fire and access issues.

Applicant Colton Pritchard told the commission he operates P and H Automotive in Jefferson and that the proposed business would be online-only: "I really only need the address for the business license because it is required, to sell vehicles through the DMV system." Pritchard told commissioners that, while staff recommended limiting wholesale vehicles to one on-site at a time, he was willing to accept a stricter condition and said, "I could make that work," when asked if he would accept having no additional cars at the residence and instead use his Jefferson shop for any vehicle storage or repair.

Angela explained the enforcement path for neighbors who believe conditions are violated: complaints are filed with the code compliance officer and are typically handled under Sweet Home Municipal Code chapters cited by staff, including the open-storage provisions and nuisance provisions. "Code compliance officer would go visit them, send out a letter... and if they don't fix it, then he sends out a violation letter, and we'll have to go to court," Angela said. She added that repeated violations could lead to revocation of required licensing.

Commissioners discussed the narrowness of the shared easement and the concentration of residences and children in the area but said the application before them was limited to the licensing and operation of an online wholesale vehicle business. The commission adopted staff findings and conditions and added an explicit condition that no additional wholesale vehicles related to the business be stored at the property. The motion set a 12‑day appeal period under ORS 227.175 and directed staff to prepare an order signed by the chair to memorialize the decision.

The vote was unanimous; all commissioners present voted to approve the permit. The staff will mail the decision notice and, if appealed within the 12‑day window described under ORS 227.175, the matter could proceed to the Land Use Board of Appeals. In the absence of an appeal, enforcement of the conditions will follow the city's code compliance process and may affect the applicant's DMV licensure if violated.