Ordinance allows auto-body repair
as Conditional Use in GC districts
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The Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen has unanimously passed an ordinance on final reading that allows an auto-body repair and paint shop as a Conditional Use in the General Commercial zoning districts.
Board members took the action during their June 22 semimonthly meeting on a motion offered by Alderman Mike Russell and seconded by Alderman Tom Allen. The ordinance became effective immediately.
Jaime Groce, chief planner for the Planning Division of the Collierville Department of Development, noted that the previous language of the “use table” prohibited a stand-alone auto-body repair and paint shop in the General Commercial districts, unless it was part of an automobile dealership.
He said the ordinance was proposed to the Planning Commission at its April 2 meeting to change how the town approaches such repair shops to focus more on “design” rather than just “use.”
The commission members were “OK with that concept,” Groce said, but they also wanted to be able to review it on a case-by-case basis. So, the Planning Division recommended the Conditional Use processes, which are “well-established” in the town.
Groce said the ordinance establishes special criteria for how a stand-alone auto-body repair shop will function and how it will be designed. And each site will be individually reviewed for its ability to meet the special criteria.
“We do have stringent design criteria now,” he noted. “So, that will apply for any new use within the Conditional Use permit process.”
Groce said the ordinance contains “special regulations” that will help the Planning Division make sure the site is appropriately zoned. Some examples he cited are no “outdoor” activity, no “objectionable” noise or other non-visual “adverse impacts,” such as dust, odors and paint smells.
He acknowledged that “adverse visual impacts” can be prevented by requiring that the vehicle service space be screened and that “special vegetation walls” be added.
At its May 7 meeting, the commission unanimously recommended that the board approve the ordinance. Shortly before that vote, Harvey Matheny of the Memphis engineering firm Kimley-Horn & Associates requested approval of a Preliminary Subdivision Plat for three lots in the Green Highway 72 Commercial Subdivision at 504 Highway 72.
He also requested approval of the Final Site Plan and a Conditional Use permit for the auto-body repair and paint shop, which will be constructed on
The facility will be a 7,800-square-foot building with approximately 16 parking spaces. All the bay doors and a dumpster will be in the rear, and a fence will be located on the site.
Grading and drainage plans show the layout of the piping and the inlets for the engineering, while another plan shows the removal and preservation of some of the other trees in and around the site that are 8 inches or larger in diameter.
Addressing some of the “concerns” that the applicant had previously heard, Matheny said that, behind the Morgreen Nursery, there are such bulk materials as sand, gravel and mulch, that are loaded onto trucks to haul to job sites. He said there is “noise associated with that activity,” which is only 10 or 20 feet away from the applicant’s rear property line.
Referring to a “wonderful veterinary clinic” and animal boarding facility nearby, Matheny elicited chuckles from the commission members and audience when he said the dogs are “very happy to see people and respond to that.”
Noting that “normal speech” registers at a decibel level of about 60, Matheny said the equipment used at an auto body shop operates at about 65 decibels.
“It’s very quiet equipment, compared to the other things that are in this area,” he said. “So, the noise concern, we believe is not an issue.”
Matheny also said an 8-foot-tall wood fence with brick columns will be constructed around the entire rear of the property. And there will be a minimum of 10 feet of space, with existing trees and undergrowth.
“And certainly, we’ve talked about supplementing that where necessary,” he said. “So, we believe, visually and with respect to sound, we’re in a good situation.”
Citing a possible concern about “odors from the paint booth,” Matheny said the owner told him that the booth is “enclosed” and is required to have a “filtration system.” Fresh air is brought in, he said, and then taken through a filter system to remove particulates and other matter that could create odors.
He also cited a concern that wreckers might “drop off” vehicles in the front area, either during the day or overnight.
“I understand that certainly less than 10 percent, or maybe less than 5 percent, of his total business comes in by wrecker,” Matheny noted. “And those are not brought in after hours.”
