Lee County board denies special-use permit for automobile salvage yard after cemetery and neighbor objections

The Lee County Board of Supervisors voted on Oct. 15 to accept the planning commission’s recommendation and deny a special-use permit request from Gary and Tammy Williams to allow an automobile salvage yard (referred to in the application as an automobile graveyard) at 1936 Hickory Flash Road.

Planning staff said the request resulted from a complaint and noted the county’s zoning ordinance treats storage of two or more motor vehicles outside an enclosed building as an automobile graveyard; staff also said state code language the county reviewed may use a five-vehicle threshold. Planning staff told the board that, because the matter stemmed from a complaint and because of how the ordinance is written, the planning commission’s three voting members recommended denial and one member had abstained.

Several residents spoke against the special-use permit. Edith Bowen (Jonesville) said vehicles visible next to the cemetery were an eyesore and urged an eight-foot privacy fence and a short deadline for remediation if the board approved. Doug McConnell, co-owner of Red Memorial Gardens cemetery, said the cemetery serves residents from every district and that customers had complained and some said they would stop visiting the cemetery if the automobile graveyard were allowed nearby. Cynthia Kinser, a property owner adjacent to the site, said an automobile graveyard would harm property values and surrounding homes.

Supporters of small business also spoke, saying if permits were required the county should apply them evenly; some board members emphasized that the matter originated from a complaint and staff were required to follow up. Planning staff noted that special-use approvals run with the land and would carry to future owners, a factor several speakers said weighed against approval.

After hearing public comment and discussing ordinance definitions and enforcement options, a supervisor moved to accept the planning commission’s recommendation to deny the special-use request; the motion carried on a voice vote. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally of individual yes/no votes.

What’s next: Planning staff said enforcement and possible ordinance updates (clarifying vehicle thresholds and screening requirements) may be considered to address similar concerns across the county, but no formal ordinance change was acted on at the Oct. 15 meeting.