Council hears plans for new, used car sales

But if one bill considered March 12 by Springfield City Council is any indication, Lipscomb-owned property may be used for car sales in the future.

Council heard a proposed amendment to Planned Development No. 248, which covers two buildings at 3165 S. Campbell Ave., owned by Lipscomb Rentals, on property immediately south of Lipscomb’s former dealership, which is now called Springfield Imports.

If the amended development plan is approved, the list of allowed uses on the property, which currently is home to Dent Works, a paint-less dent repair shop, and a small shopping center, would be expanded to include new and used car sales.

“There’s no new construction,” said Geoffrey Butler of Butler, Rosenbury & Partners, who represents owner Lipscomb Rentals on the project. “It’s just a change of use.”

Lipscomb said that while there are no immediate plans for car sales, he wanted to keep the option open.

“We wanted to get it rezoned for new and used car sales, just in the case that we wanted to use it for that,” Lipscomb said. “But we have no immediate plans for development.”

The rear shopping center is home to several small businesses, including an appliance store and a mortgage company. Lipscomb said that shopping center tenants would be unaffected by the proposed amendment.

Butler also pointed out that the plan is not for the Springfield Imports dealership to the north of the subject property to expand to the south, as city staff mistakenly stated during the council meeting. That property is now operated by Best Automotive, an auto dealership holding company based in northern Arkansas that bought Gary Lipscomb’s business in December. Best Automotive, headed by Bryan Hunt, son of trucking magnate J.B. Hunt, changed the property to Springfield Imports; company officials told Springfield Business Journal in December that they plan to add one or more new car lines at the dealership within the next two years. The dealership carries four car lines: Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Porsche.

Council is expected to vote on the planned development amendment at its next meeting, on March 26.

Also on the agenda

Council referred the issue of unpaid parking tickets to the city’s Plans and Policies Committee.

According to a memo given to council members, city staff began looking into the issue after KY3 in November aired an investigative report on unpaid parking tickets.

The city determined that about 84 percent of tickets issued between July 1, 2004, and Sept. 30, 2006, were paid – a ratio favorable to other Missouri cities.

“We feel like we have a reasonable collection rate,” said Assistant City Manager Evelyn Honea.

“What we are concerned about is those with multiple violations. That’s where we’re going to concentrate some efforts, in looking for those multiple-ticket offenders.”

One option the staff is recommending to the committee is the use of boots on vehicles owned by individuals with more than three outstanding tickets.

Honea said the Plans and Policies Committee is responsible for making recommendations to council.[[In-content Ad]]