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Planning commission recommends conditional use permit for Lenny's Garage, allows extended deadline for paving
Summary
Bayport City planning staff recommended approval of a conditional use permit for auto sales and display at Lenny's Garage; the Planning Commission voted to recommend council approval with conditions and an extended deadline for required paving to Oct. 2026.
Bayport City planning staff recommended the Planning Commission recommend approval of a conditional use permit to allow on-site auto sales and outdoor display at Lenny's Garage, 397 5th Avenue North.
City planner Sarah Taylor told commissioners the parcel sits in the B2 Central Business zone, where auto repair is permitted but sales and outdoor display require a special use permit. The applicant previously operated under a 2023 interim use permit; staff said the interim period showed the use did not negatively affect the neighborhood and recommended approval with conditions to bring the site closer to code, including replacing the gravel area with hard surface, adding landscaping and on-site stormwater treatment such as a vegetated swale or rain garden, and limiting exterior display to the site plan’s 16 stalls. Hours of operation described in the application are Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., with exterior lights to be turned off by 10 p.m.
Applicant Brandon Swansson, who purchased the property in 2023, told the commission he plans to complete repairs and paving but asked for additional time because of the cost. "It's going to be like probably 20 or $30,000 to do all of it," Swansson said, and asked for up to two years to meet the paving requirement. Staff had suggested completion by the 2025 construction season (around October 2025); commissioners discussed and agreed that an extension to October 2026 would balance code compliance with the financial realities of a new business.
After discussion, the commission moved and seconded a recommendation that the city council approve the conditional use permit subject to the findings of fact and the staff-recommended conditions and that the city council be asked to adopt the extended date for completing the required paving and striping (to Oct. 2026). The motion carried.
The recommendation now goes to the Bayport City Council; a council hearing date was not specified at the Planning Commission meeting.
