Franklin County OKs special-use permit for online used-car brokerage at 2230 Tennessee Road

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners approved a special-use permit for an online used-vehicle brokerage to operate at 2230 Tennessee Road, about six miles east of Ottawa.

The permit, labeled 24100004 in staff papers, allows the owner to broker vehicle sales and to store vehicles inside an existing 50-by-80 building. Pat, a county planning staff member, said the operation will be ‘‘strictly an online business’’ and that the county added conditions to prevent the site from becoming a traditional dealership if ownership changes.

The conditions written into the permit require that the business be owner-operated, limit employees to one or two, bar mechanical or vehicle-servicing work on site, prohibit vehicles displayed for sale outside the building, require an all-weather driveway surface, allow only one wall sign that must meet Franklin County zoning regulations, and require appropriate building permits for any remodeling or new construction. Staff also said the permit would lapse automatically if the use was not initiated within one year.

Pat told the board the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval and that the applicant agreed with the conditions.

The board moved and seconded the permit approval; the commissioners present voted unanimously to approve. Vote recorded: 5–0.

The planning staff will correct a typographical error in the resolution language before final paperwork is prepared, clarifying the employee limit to ‘‘one or two employees.’'

The item drew minimal public discussion during the hearing and no amendments to the conditions were made. The permit documents the county’s limits on on-site sales and service, reflecting staff and Planning Commission intent to preserve the rural character of the surrounding properties.

No timetable for the applicant’s start of operations was provided in the meeting record.