Council approves reduced landscaping buffers for new Scott Evans dealership

The Villa Rica City Council on July 8 approved three variances for a proposed Scott Evans dealership on Industrial Boulevard, allowing reduced landscape strips and buffer widths after staff and the applicant reached a negotiated compromise.

Interim Community Development Director Brecka Carter told the council the applicant initially requested substantial reductions — including a 20‑foot landscape strip to be reduced to 3 feet — and staff proposed intermediate dimensions. Planning and Zoning voted to approve all three variances and staff recommended conditional approval after negotiations with the applicant.

Applicant Skyler Evans said the dealership will bring sales, service and parts operations, and he estimated 40 to 50 jobs tied to the project. He told the council the reduced buffers were needed to accommodate vehicle inventory on the site, which will include commercial and passenger vehicles.

Evans told the council he was amenable to staff’s negotiated compromise: a 5‑foot landscaping strip with an existing opaque fence retained in one area, and a 10‑foot front buffer in another. The council voted to approve the variances as adjusted by staff’s recommendations.

Planning and Zoning reviewed the plans and approved the variances before the council hearing. The applicant still must complete final site plan submittals and permitting before construction can proceed.