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Council approves operational conditions for Evergreen/Checkered Flag dealership after neighbor concessions
Summary
City council approved modifications to the conditional-use permit for the Evergreen/Winters Properties car dealership at Sentara Way, including landscaping, noise controls, elimination of amplified paging and employee parking rules, after neighborhood negotiations produced enforceable conditions.
City council approved a modification of conditions for the existing automotive dealership on Sentara Way that had prompted repeated neighborhood complaints about lighting, overnight deliveries, loudspeaker paging and employee street parking.
The application from Evergreen Virginia LLC (Winters Properties / Checkered Flag operations) sought to modify conditions for an expanded inventory and operations area. Kyle Corte, the applicant’s attorney, told council the applicant accepted the conditions recommended by staff and the Civic League following outreach and several meetings.
Princess Anne Plaza Civic League President George Wall said the parties had met in January and reached a working agreement. “We have come to a successful conclusion of how we would like to move forward and we have developed what seems to be a good working relationship now with Evergreen,” Wall said.
Neighbor Fran Sansone outlined the history of complaints in the block, including outdoor loudspeaker paging, truck unloading in the public right-of-way, site lighting that shone into homes and employee parking on Sentara Way. She said the dealer had agreed in writing to operational concessions and to name a point of contact for residents. “We’d like to hear the dealership’s reassurance that the conditions are shared with every current and new employee,” Sansone said.
Council member remarks and staff review emphasized a package of conditions negotiated with the applicant and the Civic League. The conditions include enhanced evergreen and buffer landscaping along Sentara Way, a three-foot earthen berm with plantings to reduce line-of-sight into the lot, elimination of amplified paging for security announcements, compliance with existing vehicle-delivery rules (no unloading in the public right-of-way), restrictions on employee on-street parking and a designated dealer contact for resident complaints. The dealership also agreed to pursue an aerator/fountain as a noise-mitigation measure at the property’s rear.
Applicant attorney Kyle Corte confirmed his client accepted the amended conditions during the hearing. The council approved the modification by voice vote; the clerk recorded the tally as 10-0 with one councilmember absent.
Why it matters: The decision formalizes neighborhood protections and operational controls for a long-standing auto dealership operation that sits adjacent to residential properties. The conditions are enforceable and are intended to limit late-night noise, reduce on-street employee parking and improve the visual buffer between the lot and adjacent homes.
