Proposed automobile sales business eyes home along E. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb

DeKALB – A petitioner has asked the City of DeKalb for permission to set up an automobile sales business along East Lincoln Highway.

Cirilo Mendez, is seeking clearance from the DeKalb Planning and Zoning Commission to do business on 1.15 acres that is currently occupied by a home with two detached garages at 2050 E. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, according to city documents. The Commission is charged with advising the City Council on zoning and development matters, though the City Council has the final say.

Commissioners will hear Mendez’s pitch during the next regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St.

If Mendez got city approval, he said he plans to display 14 vehicles at a time for sale at the property, documents show. His plans also include five parking spaces for employees and customers, along with an accessible parking space.

The property in question originally was “forced annexed” into DeKalb in August 2011 and automatically zoned for single-family residences, city staff wrote in documents released ahead of the meeting. The lot was rezoned in March 2012 to allow for light commercial use.

Mendez requires a special use permit to operate his proposed automobile business on the property. He’s owned the property since 2021 and lives there now, according to the city. Once the business is set up, he plans to no longer reside there, documents show.

City staff said they received a proposed layout for the site in 2024.

The office also would include a sales area, two restrooms, a store, waiting room and a accessible ramp into the building, city documents show. Plans also show a drainage basin as well as landscaping along East Lincoln Highway and the east and west property lines.

Mendez estimated exterior improvements would cost about $122,600. Interior renovation of the home into a sale office and for the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp would cost about $70,000, city documents show.

City staff said they find the proposed automobile business would be compatible with surrounding businesses, which include a gas station, vehicle storage area, self-storage facility, furniture store, towing business and an equipment and tool rental place.

In the lead-up to Tuesday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the city has not received any written comments from the public about the petitioner’s request.

City staff said they support the plans for the proposed automobile sales business – but suggested multiple stipulations for Mendez.

Those stipulations include: that Mendez create and pave the area where vehicles will be displayed, according to city code, and provide one parking space for every 300 square feet of office area, including one accessible space. The city also would prohibit repairing vehicles on the site, and bar the owner from storing inoperable vehicles, boats, RVs or trailers outside, documents show.