Raymore Board of Adjustment approves variance to allow vehicle sales at 403 West Walnut

The Raymore Board of Adjustment voted to approve a variance of use for Manna Auto Sales LLC at 403 West Walnut Street, allowing vehicle sales and related limited servicing at the property.

Planning staff told the board the property is 0.34 acres, sits on the edge of the Old Town overlay and carries a base zoning of C-2 (general commercial) that does not permit vehicle sales. Staff said a 1989 building permit authorized the existing metal building, a conditional use permit for vehicle sales was granted in 1997 and the property was rezoned to C-2 in 2008; the conditional use was removed in 2019 when a business license was not renewed. Staff recommended that the board accept the proposed findings of fact for case 25035 and grant the variance with a set of conditions.

Planning staff summarized the application and the recommended conditions, saying, “staff is recommending that the Board of Zoning Adjustment accept the proposed findings of fact for case 25035, the Manna Auto Sales LLC variance application with those conditions.”

Dennis Mendoza, the property owner and applicant, told the board he purchased the building about a year earlier and had expected to operate vehicle sales from the site. Mendoza said his business model is primarily online and that customers would generally pick up vehicles after purchase. “I bought this building a year ago, exactly in November, thinking that I was able to start another sale there,” Mendoza said. He said work on-site would be limited to cleaning, oil changes and minor brake work and that he would not perform major body or engine repairs.

When asked about volume, Mendoza said he would not keep many vehicles on site and estimated he could park about 10 cars; he added an approximate sales expectation of “maybe two per week,” while acknowledging the exact volume was uncertain.

Board members questioned the applicant about vehicle condition and on-site operations; one member noted neighboring complaints in other properties and asked for clarification about whether vehicles needing extensive repair would be stored on the lot. Mendoza reiterated that vehicles would be drivable and that more intensive repairs would not take place at the site.

After closing the public hearing, a board member moved to accept the findings of fact for case 25035 (403 West Walnut Street). The motion carried and the presiding officer announced that the variance of use for Manna Auto Sales LLC passed.

The meeting continued with a brief planning department report noting 25 single-family permits issued in September and ongoing improvements on the city’s east side. The board adjourned at the conclusion of the staff report.

Notes: The transcript identifies the applicant as Dennis Mendoza and the business as Manna Auto Sales LLC; in some remarks the applicant pronounced the business name as “Mana.” The board approved the variance with conditions recommended by staff; specific conditions were discussed by staff in the packet and referenced by staff during the presentation.