Middletown planners deny conditional-use permit for used-car lot at 4420 South Dixie Highway

The Middletown Planning Commission unanimously denied a request for a conditional-use permit that would have allowed an automotive sales and leasing business at 4420 South Dixie Highway, voting 7-0 on June 10 to reject the application and forward a denial recommendation to city council.

Staff said the parcel was described in packet materials as 1.82 acres but that analysis elsewhere in the staff report referenced approximately 1.4 acres; staff recommended denial because the proposed used-car sales operation did not align with Destination Middletown's neighborhood mixed-use future land use, did not include required screening or buffering plans, and the applicant had not submitted an Ohio dealer's license with the application. "The majority of the applicable review criteria is not met," the staff report said, and recommended denial.

Attorney Ed Hose presented the applicant, Carlos Services LLC (doing business as Squad Auto Sales), and family members who described the business as a family-operated used-car dealer with an existing Riverside location. Carmen Hajal, who testified on behalf of the applicant, described the planned site work as detailing and light repairs only and said the business would not perform major engine or transmission work on site: "We're not going to do anything major. We just do like regular repair for our cars," she said.

Supporters including the property owner, Gregory Myers, and the listing agent said the site is currently vacant and offered to add buffering if the commission required it. Counsel said prior operation at the applicant's Riverside location complied with local requirements and that the applicant would be able to provide additional documentation if requested.

Commissioners weighed the site's current configuration and surrounding uses against the comprehensive-plan designation and the stated purpose of the city's land-use vision. Several commissioners said the property potentially could support other commercial uses that align more closely with the plan's goals and that approving an automotive sales use might forfeit that opportunity. A motion to deny (citing criteria 2, 6, 8 and 11) was made, seconded and approved unanimously; roll-call votes recorded Will Parsons, AJ Mintel, Roger Daniel, Nancy Griffith, David Cash, Tara Ramsey and Gabriel Shane as voting "yes" to deny.

The commission will forward its recommendation to City Council for its consideration under the Middletown Development Code.