Auto shop lift requirements get another look

Acknowledging the challenge business owners face in finding parking spots for the cars they work on, Councilwoman Maureen Freschet said she would support relaxing parking requirements tied to the building permits owners must obtain to operate vehicle lifts. She also emphasized the importance of permitting the lifts so officials can determine how many there are in the city and what their condition is.

“I think the auto repair shops in our city … provide a really valuable service to our community so I want to do whatever we can to help support these businesses as long as we can do it in a manner that does not compromise public safety or employee safety,” she said, according to a video of the meeting Monday, June 4.

Officials have been considering ways to regulate use of vehicle lifts and ensure business owners are providing sufficient parking at their auto shops since 2012 when residents raised complaints about establishments near Claremont Street and Railroad Avenue parking cars and loading vehicles on neighborhood streets. In response to their concerns, city officials issued letters to business owners warning them installing unpermitted lifts constituted building code violations, but later tabled the effort to incorporate input from business owners affected by the changes, according to a staff report.

In response to a discussion at an October 2016 City Council meeting, the city’s planning and building departments created a program to allow vehicle lifts to be permitted and remain without penalty, but fewer than 10 of the more than 130 auto-related businesses in the city have come forward to apply for the permits, which require a one-time payment of $195, said city Planner Richard Patenaude. He added some 95 establishments in the city — which are also clustered around South Amphlett Boulevard and Palm Avenue — are believed to have lifts on site.

Central Neighborhood resident Laurie Watanuki advocated for tighter rules for businesses parking commercial vehicles on residential streets and restrictions on outdoor auto repair shop operations to mitigate the noise affecting homeowners adjacent to them.

In reviewing a staff recommendation to continue requiring businesses using vehicle lifts outdoors to apply for a special use permit, councilmembers agreed Planning Commission review of the applications could offer business owners and residents an opportunity to work out details case by case.

Patric Jonsson, owner of Bo Jonsson’s Foreign Car Service at 111 E. 20th Ave., urged councilmembers to consider the constraints those operating auto repair shops face in turning service jobs around quickly, especially as parking has become less available across the city.

“The lifts are essential for our businesses and if we can’t use them, we’re not going to be able to survive,” he said. “The area is becoming overly saturated with the density homes… so parking has become a big issue.”

Councilman Joe Goethals joined his fellow councilmembers in looking for creative ways to amend the parking requirement for auto service and gas stations, which currently stands at two stalls plus an additional two stalls for each service bay. Goethals suggested giving business owners an option to pay parking in-lieu fees where making room for the required parking is not possible, noting the parking requirement may be what has deterred owners from seeking building permits allowing them to operate lifts.

“I don’t think they trust us to come in and get the permits and I want to make sure that we’re letting them all know that they can come in and be confident that when they’re operating a safe business they’re going to get the permit,” he said.

Goethals noted parking expected to become available in downtown garages may be among the factors that could mitigate the need in these areas, and councilmembers agreed they wanted to review amendments to the parking requirements for auto-related businesses when the issue comes before them next.

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