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Commission recommends CUP amendment for auto-repair expansion after owner agrees to remove outdoor storage
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a conditional use permit amendment to expand an auto-repair business into an adjacent unit while excluding outdoor storage; the applicant agreed to remove outdoor storage and to pursue required permits, and the commission forwarded the item to the City Council for Jan. 5, 2026.
The City of Blaine Planning Commission recommended approval of a conditional use permit amendment that would allow an existing auto-repair business to expand into an adjacent tenant space, while excluding outdoor storage from the application.
Alex, the city planner, opened the staff report by clarifying that although the public hearing notice mentioned outdoor storage the staff had not received documentation to consider outdoor storage and therefore it was not part of the pending application. "So that's no longer being considered with this item," Alex said. The expansion would combine two suites to provide about 3,590 square feet of work area for auto repair, detailing, painting and upholstery; staff recommended approval with six conditions and noted a previous violation when a wall had been removed between suites without a building permit.
The applicant and co-owner, Mos Waimal, told the commission his business had removed a storage container and that he would meet with the building association and city inspectors to address the outstanding issues. "We are removing that," Mos said when asked whether outdoor storage had been removed. He also said the business would work with code enforcement and the association to resolve parking and storage allocations.
Commissioners pressed staff about enforcement tools and whether cars in disrepair or without wheels would be treated as outdoor storage; staff said such vehicles would be considered outdoor storage and described the typical code-enforcement process (verbal contact, citations with time to remedy, and hearings if citations are not paid). Staff emphasized that approval of the CUP would move the property toward compliance.
A commissioner moved to recommend approval of case file 25-0051 with the six staff conditions and the commission approved the motion by voice vote. The commission forwarded the recommendation to the City Council for its Jan. 5, 2026 meeting. Staff included a condition requiring a certificate of occupancy for the expanded space by June 1, 2026, and noted that outstanding enforcement matters could remain subject to code-enforcement action and association rules.
