The photo above shows a Strickland Bros. building superimposed on the existing site at 2320 Canton Rd. This will be open 7 days a week.

The 2006 Canton Road Steering Committee was formed to create long term planning that would turn around a 5 mile corridor that was in steep decline. 

The report found that there were too many automotive uses on Canton Road and that it was necessary to move away from that. These uses are too intense and don’t fit well when the side street is a narrow 25 mph entrance to several neighborhoods.

The applicant hopes to sell his corner lot on Canton and Liberty Hill to Strickland Brothers Oil Change, a franchise that also does automotive repair and inspections.  The property rezoned in 2007 to Neighborhood Retail Commercial. There were some uses that were excluded: one of them was light automotive repair.  

THIS HEARING IS TO AMEND THE 2007 ZONING TO ALLOW LIGHT AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR.  THAT IS THE ONLY REASON FOR THIS HEARING. THE OWNER COULD HAVE OPENED A COFFEE SHOP OR BAKERY OR PIZZA RESTAURANT AT ANY TIME SINCE 2007.

The reasons why community advocates listed light automotive repair as a prohibited use in the 2007 zoning still remain. The oil change store would be across from an old discount tire store and a very busy service station. It is just two streets down from an auto repair shop that constantly changes owners and which does not have a good relationship with the neighborhood.

There are many places to get an oil change and auto repair to the north and south on Canton Hwy. There are two within 1/2 mile of subject property. To the south there is an inspection station with auto repair and oil change in the back. That is next to an auto body repair shop.

On behalf of many area residents who hope for better, more attractive and neighborhood friendly development, and who have waited too long for it to arrive, we ask that this application be Denied.