Planning & Zoning to address
 car salvage question

(11/20) Following last month’s "punting" by the Woodsboro Town Council to defer action on addressing the issue of salvage car storage within the Industrial Zone, Mark Hatgi, owner of Mark 1 VW, formally requested that the Town Planning and Zoning Commission review the current code and modify it to allow the salvaging of vehicles in the Industrial Zone, as he had been promised by prior administrations.

The issue was first brought to the current Council’s attention five months ago by Town Code Enforcement Officer Donnie Strawsburg, when he raised concern over the apparent disparity between how some properties are treated versus others.

The issue stemmed from Strawsburg citing a resident for having inoperable cars in the open on their property, while not citing those in the Industrial Park.

"I can’t cite one person for violating a town ordinance and not cite another for the same violation; if I do so, I open myself, and the Town, to charges of ‘selective enforcement.’ And once that happens, the residents will lose faith in our enforcement of the Town Code."

Strawsburg was able to locate Town Planning Commission meetings minutes, dating back to 1987, that did address the storage of unlicensed/inoperable cars for parts or salvage purposes, including notes from Planning Commission meeting minutes indicating these actions were allowable. Unfortunately for Hatgi, there is no record of the then Town Council following up on the then Planning Commission recommendation.

While Mr Hatgi is not engaged in the business of salvaging the used vehicles, some of them do end up as being parts cars. However, this is not the primary function of the business. And as outdoor storage of vehicles is allowed, whether or not a vehicle ends up as being salvaged is the question up for debate.

Hatgi "was very professional and was more than happy to fill me in on his recollection of events," said Strawsburg. "But the bottom line eventually revolves around the current Town Code, passed in 2014, which does not allow the storage of cars for salvage purposes in the Industrial Zone, which Hatgi uses some of his cars for."

Strawsburg suggested that given the length of time the issue has been going on and the lack of follow-up by prior Town Councils to address the situation, the present Town Council should consider providing Hatgi a waiver to allow him to conduct salvage operations in the Industrial Park or to remove the term "salvage" in the Code as it applies to auto related activities in the Industrial Zone.

Following the lack of action on Strawsburg’s recommendation at the last Council meeting, Hatgi officially requested at the November Council meeting that the Planning and Zoning Commission formally address the issue. Commissioner Jessie Case, liaison to the Planning & Zoning Commission, agreed.

While pleased that the Planning and Zoning Commission will take up the review of his request, Hatgi said unlike the prior efforts where he has been promised multiple times that the Code will be fixed, he was going to ensure this time it is.