No sign yet that Oakland Ave. Auto Repair has any plans to move as the shop was directed to do in the letter sent by then Assistant City Manager Kevin Baity last November. Quite likely they won't either, as the majority of the city council has shown little to no interest in pursuing the matter further.
From the city's viewpoint, I can certainly see why. The warehouse nee' auto storage facility has sat empty for several years now, gradually deteriorating like many other larger unoccupied buildings in Carbondale (Animal Crackers, Tuscan Lodge, Peerless Linens to name a few). Now the owners have fixed it up and the repair shop does decent business,generating some sales tax revenue for the city.. I pass the location a couple of times a week and always see a couple of cars inside undergoing repairs.
Also, when Home Rentals sought permission to lease the space to the repair shop, the city gave it, wrongly as it turns out. Home Rentals, which has proven fairly dogged in its dealings with the city over the years, could validly claim that the company made substantial investments in the building in good faith and take the city to court should the city decide to pursue the movement order. I'm not a lawyer so have no idea how that would shake out legally, but it certainly seems reasonable from a lay point of view. Home Rentals, as one of the largest landlords in town, certainly has the money to pursue a legal option, likely moreso than one of the residents of the area, who might want to take action against the city for allowing the business to open up in an area not zoned for it.
From the city's viewpoint, I can certainly see why. The warehouse nee' auto storage facility has sat empty for several years now, gradually deteriorating like many other larger unoccupied buildings in Carbondale (Animal Crackers, Tuscan Lodge, Peerless Linens to name a few). Now the owners have fixed it up and the repair shop does decent business,generating some sales tax revenue for the city.. I pass the location a couple of times a week and always see a couple of cars inside undergoing repairs.
Also, when Home Rentals sought permission to lease the space to the repair shop, the city gave it, wrongly as it turns out. Home Rentals, which has proven fairly dogged in its dealings with the city over the years, could validly claim that the company made substantial investments in the building in good faith and take the city to court should the city decide to pursue the movement order. I'm not a lawyer so have no idea how that would shake out legally, but it certainly seems reasonable from a lay point of view. Home Rentals, as one of the largest landlords in town, certainly has the money to pursue a legal option, likely moreso than one of the residents of the area, who might want to take action against the city for allowing the business to open up in an area not zoned for it.
Isn't it interesting that Home Rentals seems to be one of the few, that is taking old, worthless buildings/houses and doing something with them? Kind of a different company than it was 10 years ago. I wonder how long the reputation lasts, after the bad acts stop?
ReplyDeleteNot certain the "bad acts" have stopped yet. The demolition of the Stotlar House in 2010 could certainly have been avoided if Home Rentals had acted more promptly to preserve it, rather than delaying until weather had further damaged the building.
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