Local business owner asks Cambridge to reconsider parking requirements

The owner of the recently opened North Metro Auto Sales in Cambridge approached the Cambridge City Council regarding parking his cars for sale directly along Highway 95.
During the Cambridge City Council meeting Aug. 7, Community Development Director Marcia Westover explained on July 31 she noticed the automobile sales store, located at 1401 First Ave. W., was open and she noted the vehicles for sale were parked along Highway 95. She said she also heard from a concerned resident about the parking of vehicles specifically along Highway 95.
Westover explained, according to City Council review of the city code parking requirements and approval of the interim use permit at the June 19 City Council meeting, no vehicles for sale were to be parked along Highway 95 or behind the building on the north side. These spaces are the required customer and employee parking on the lot, according to city code.
Westover said the property requires 14 parking spaces in the front and rear of the building for customer and employee parking only. The 11 parking spaces located on the east and west of the property are for the display of vehicles for sale.
Westover said when she contacted the owner’s representative, Paul Walker, to let him know he was in violation of the parking requirements, he and North Metro Auto Sales owner Kevin Wudel requested to speak to the council again.
“I am the only employee of the business,” Wudel said. “My ability to have a successful business is to allow cars for sale to be parked in the front. When I had vehicles parked up front, I received many compliments. People do not know I’m open if I don’t have cars parked up front.”
Following discussion, the council approved a motion directing staff to bring to Planning Commission a review of the parking number requirements and feasibility of angling the parking on the north side to accommodate spots in the front. Council Members Kersten Barfknecht-Conley and Joe Morin voted against the motion.
Wudel explained not allowing cars to be parked along the highway is causing major issues for him and showed the council several pictures of cars, trucks and trailers parked in front of his property that aren’t associated with his business.
“Not having vehicles on display in front is causing big parking problems for me only, no one else,” Wudel said. “Without my display vehicles, my business becomes overflow parking for the pawn shop.”
Wudel asked the council to work with him on the parking requirements.
“I need people to know I’m open,” Wudel said. “I’m not putting junk up front. I’m putting in front good, quality cars for sale. Who is going to stop in at a car shop when it looks like an abandoned gas station? I had an overwhelming amount of citizens congratulate me for getting this place open.”
Wudel said his business will not succeed if the parking requirements are not changed.
“This isn’t fair, not at all,” Wudel said. “I’m here today to change this and allow me to be successful with my business. There have been no parking issues, whatsoever. I can’t be handcuffed to this or I have no chance, none.”
City Administrator Lynda Woulfe said both Walker and Wudel said they understood the parking of vehicles for sale would not be allowed along Highway 95 when the interim use permit was issued.
She said if the council wants to accommodate Wudel to allow parking along Highway 95, an option would be to amend the zoning ordinance and the parking requirements for an automobile sales business by bringing the issue to the Planning Commission and holding a public hearing and then bringing a recommendation to the City Council.
“I think he (Wudel) should stick to the original agreement or rescind the original agreement,” Morin said. “I don’t think we need to redo the whole parking package for this issue.”
Council Member Lisa Iverson said she understands Wudel’s frustration with vehicles parking on his lot that aren’t associated with his business.
“This is a tough thing because when we left last time I thought we were all on the same page,” Iverson said. “I can clearly understand your frustration with other people’s vehicles hampering your business, it’s not fair, and I do understand you don’t need all those spots for customer parking.”
Mayor Marlys Palmer said the council should try to work with Wudel a little more.
“I’d rather see the space used and open and when he had cars parked in front it looked like he was open,” Palmer said. “When there are no cars, I can understand why people are calling him up and asking why you are not open anymore. It seems we should be helping him a little bit.”