Council opens public hearing on automobile storage yard at Charlestown Industrial Drive

St. Charles County Council on Monday opened a public hearing on Bill 5365, an ordinance that would grant a conditional use permit for an automobile storage yard at 1335 Charlestown Industrial Drive.

Planning and zoning division director Robert Myers told the council the site is in the Charlestown Industrial area near Old Highway 94 and is “about 3 quarters of an acre.” Myers said the parcel already contains a small warehouse, is paved and fenced, and that the proposal would allow the storage of up to 40 vehicles while the applicant improves the office, pavement and landscape screening. “The proposal is to operate an automobile storage yard for 40 vehicles,” Myers said.

Jeremy Rowan, manager at JNI Hauling, the applicant, said his company stores vehicles seized for a federal contract and that inventories fluctuate. “The goal is here, we've had a contract with the federal government to store and maintain vehicles that have been seized for them for about 6 years,” Rowan said. He told the council auctions are conducted online, that the site is not open to the public except by appointment for a one-day pre-auction inspection, and that two employees would operate the lot.

Arnie C., identified at the hearing as a county public advocate, urged caution because of the site's proximity to city boundaries and local water concerns. “The storage of vehicles, it could be a dicey situation,” Arnie said, and asked the council to consider restrictions barring derelict or unlicensed vehicles and to clarify runoff and spill-control measures for oil, coolant and other fluids.

Myers said the Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the application Jan. 15 and recommended approval by a 7-0 vote. He reported there were no letters of opposition on file. Rowan told the council that vehicles on the lot are kept operable and that no major repairs occur on-site, saying there is “no storage of any waste oil, no barrels of chemicals or anything other than just general car wash supplies and maybe a couple quarts of oil and a gallon or 2 of antifreeze at the location.”

The council did not vote Monday; the public hearing was closed and the council will consider final action at its meeting in two weeks (end of month), according to the chair.

Why it matters: The parcel sits inside a largely industrial park but near municipal boundaries; residents and the county public advocate raised concerns about potential leaks and runoff that could affect nearby properties or water systems. The permit would allow recurring outdoor storage of government-seized vehicles and establish operating conditions if approved.

Next steps: The council will take a formal vote on the conditional use permit at its next meeting; any approval would be subject to the permit conditions the council elects to adopt.