Planning board declines to approve expanded auto sales display along Highway 115; seeks clearer plan

The Planning Board recommended denial of a request to amend the existing conditional zoning for properties at 1179 and 1181 Mecklenburg Highway (CZ‑2025‑09) that would add vehicle sales, rentals and repair uses and permit display of up to 20 vehicles, after members said the application lacked sufficient detail about site layout, paving and safe access.

Staff said the existing conditional zoning from 2005 limited the site’s use to a taxi service and prohibited display of vehicles in front of the lot. The applicant, property owner Vladimir Studenetz, told the board he is asking authorization to display cars along a roughly 175‑foot frontage on Highway 115 and described the request as modest and intended to avoid repeat trips to the board.

Board members and staff asked for a clearer, scaled site plan showing where display vehicles would be parked, what surfaces would be paved, how many spaces are on the concrete pad at 1179, and whether the large trees on site would remain. Members expressed traffic‑safety concerns for Highway 115 frontage and noted the corridor’s mixed residential and commercial character; several said they would consider a more limited approval with a small number of display vehicles confined to existing paved area in front of 1179 and additional vehicles kept behind the building with required surfacing and buffering.

After discussion, the Planning Board voted to recommend denial so the applicant can return with a more detailed site plan and conditions that address paving, buffering, ingress/egress and maximum vehicles permitted in the frontage area. The board said the denial does not preclude later submittal of a revised, more detailed proposal.