Pulaski planners press staff and owners over inoperable-vehicle lots, collision center and disputed farm-store permits

Commissioners in Pulaski spent much of the Oct. 14 meeting pressing staff and property owners to clarify how multiple inoperable-vehicle lots and new business uses were authorized, raising environmental concerns and questions about whether existing zoning and permit conditions are being followed.

Chair opened the discussion after noting cars stacked on several fenced lots and asking whether owners were operating within agreements or permits. "There are vehicles that have sat there for well over a year," the Chair said, pointing to storage behind Food Lion and other sites visible from the town trail and Main Street. He said the lots present a poor visual impression and a potential risk to a nearby creek.

Staff agreed the concern is justified and said they would dig into past minutes and files to find the administrative history for exceptions or permits. Staff noted that for one large towing-related lot the town had asked for screening and that the current permit for DCT Collision included specific restrictions: a screened area with evergreen plantings, a restriction that no inoperable vehicles be stored in the front parking lot, and a condition that the approval was limited to the current property owner and not transferable.

On the DCT Collision (the company that also operates DCT Towing), staff read portions of the zoning ordinance for the B-2 district, saying the code lists "automobile repair services, minor" as a permitted use but prohibits operations that include spray painting, compressors and welding in certain circumstances. Staff said the purchase of the Steer House property and subsequent permit issuance occurred before current staff could review it; by the time staff reviewed the matter the land had already changed hands.

Commissioners repeatedly voiced environmental concerns about the scale of vehicle storage on a large hilltop parcel adjacent to sensitive green areas that staff said are not suitable for further vehicle storage. Staff reported the town had required screening ("use evergreen trees ... full year round cover") and front-lot restrictions; staff also said the permit included six appended bulletins describing conditions attached to the approval.

The commission also heard from a representative of Horner Acre Farms, the owner of a roughly 13–15 acre property partly in town, who said he had been told the operation qualified as agricultural and was "ag exempt" before building a farm store and placing a temporary camper. "I'm a disabled vet, so this is all I do is farm," the owner said, asking for clarification and noting strong neighborhood support for the farm-store concept. Staff said the Horner Acre matter is under legal advisory and that they would continue to update the commission as the legal review proceeds.

Key numbers and details included a staff description that installing two valves on Main Street to cut off an old water line cost about $10,300 each, and staff and Painter noting a 4–5 year horizon for grant-funded streetscape construction. Several commissioners recommended staff search historical files for prior administrative approvals and minutes to establish whether exceptions were legitimately granted and whether permits that were issued remain consistent with the code.

What happens next: Staff committed to research the town records, locate prior minutes and permit files, and report back. The DCT Collision permit conditions (screening, nontransferability and front-lot restrictions) remain in force as described by staff; Horner Acre is under legal review and no enforcement or permit revocation was announced at the meeting.