Riverdale planning commission denies extension for Joe’s Car Connection site at 5030 Freeway Park Drive

Riverdale City Planning Commission members voted 4–1 on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, to deny a request for a six-month extension of a conditional use permit for Joe’s Car Connection at 5030 Freeway Park Drive.

Staff recommended denial after describing a multi-year history of unpermitted site work, incomplete engineering submittals and a lack of a compliant site plan. Brandon Cooper, city community development staff, told the commission the original conditional use permit was granted in February 2024 and under city code it expired after one year; the applicant sought a six-month extension that would have extended the deadline from Feb. 27, 2025, to Aug. 27, 2025.

Cooper said aerial photos and recent site visits show unauthorized earthwork and a trenched stormwater feature installed without a reviewed engineering package, and that submitted geotechnical and engineering materials were incomplete for the city’s site-plan review. Cooper summarized the staff view: "There has not been the adequate amount of attention given to the process that has been explained and re-explained in order to become a legal use and receive a business license," and therefore staff recommended denial.

Tessa Shorten, who identified herself as the applicant’s representative, said Joe’s Car Connection had hired an engineer and contractor, paid fees and was working to complete corrected drawings and submittals. Shorten told the commission that construction in the public right-of-way and driveway access problems slowed work and that vehicles currently on the property were being stored rather than actively sold from the Riverdale site. Shorten said, "He wants to be in compliance, wants to get everything up and running," and offered to have engineering drawings submitted quickly.

Commission discussion focused on whether the city had seen "substantial action" under the original approval. Commissioners and staff described a pattern of intermittent or informal communications and a long gap in formal submittals; Cooper said that while there were engineering- and survey-type documents, none met the city’s formal site-plan checklist and that site construction had not been inspected or approved. Commissioners also noted a 2020 business license for the address that staff said had been issued in error and later revoked (origination date given by staff: Aug. 27, 2020; revoked before 2021).

A motion to deny the six-month extension carried by recorded vote. Commissioners voting yes included Commissioner Beaufort, Commissioner Paulson, Commissioner Anderson and Commissioner Knight; Commissioner Henstra voted no. The commission chair noted that an appeal of the commission’s decision may be filed within 30 days; staff said the appeal application fee is approximately $400 and that the appeal authority will review whether the commission’s decision complied with code. Cooper said the city generally will refrain from active enforcement while a timely appeal is pending, but if no appeal is filed the commission’s decision would clear the way for code enforcement to require that the unlawful use cease.

What the denial means: without an active conditional-use approval the retail auto-sales use is not permitted at that location. Cooper told the applicant that, if the denial is upheld and appeals are not pursued successfully, the vehicles and any marketing or advertising that present the site as an auto-sales operation must cease immediately because those activities would be a nonpermitted use under the zoning code.

Next steps identified during the meeting were administrative: staff will provide the applicant the code reference and appeal procedures, and the applicant may pursue an appeal, reapply in compliance with code, or explore other legal options. Cooper emphasized the pathway to approval would require a complete site-plan submission that follows the city checklist, engineering verification of any previously built improvements, payment of applicable fees and inspections before any business license could be issued.