Council tables revocation hearing for Highway 90 car lot until rezoning is decided

The St. Charles Parish Council on Jan. 6 voted unanimously to table consideration of an ordinance that would revoke a special-use permit for automobile sales at 16830 Highway 90 (file number 2024-0425), deferring the decision until after the property owner's rezoning request for adjacent lots is considered.

Planning staff presented a revocation report describing code-enforcement contacts over more than a year. The landowner and the lot operator spoke in public comment; the owner, Mike Naboo, said he planned to combine two adjacent residential lots with the commercial lot to "spread" the current inventory rather than increase it and asked the council not to revoke the permit. The operator, Kawaja Umer, said he has run the site for about a year, asked for another chance and said he does not use a nearby residential street for test drives.

Nearby residents told the council they had repeatedly called code enforcement and cited seven unsuccessful inspections in the past year, traffic and safety concerns, and persistent noise and debris. A neighbor who identified himself as Brian Arthur said code enforcement had been to the site seven times and that vehicles and activity blocked the highway and adjacent streets. Candy Arthur described repeated late-night activity and trash accumulation near her property.

Councilman Comerdale moved to table the revocation until the separate rezoning application for the adjacent properties is decided; the motion passed unanimously. The transcript records the council's action as tabling file 2024-0425 and scheduling further consideration after the rezoning process.