At this week’s Crowley City Council meeting, the Zoning and Annexation Committee took the spotlight with three items on their agenda. However, all three items have some common denominators.
The first was to consider authorizing City Attorney Tom Regan to review and revise ordinances and policies governing operations of a business located in a residential district.
The second was to research other municipalities on updating policies regarding businesses in residential districts.
And for the third, Ted Carmicheal spoke to the council on an ongoing issue with city ordinances not being enforced.
Carmichael claimed that a local company located on First Street, is violating ordinance by leaving wrecked cars along the roadway and “often blocking the entire roadway.”
He went on to state that he has appeared before the city council about the issue in the past — about six months ago — and nothing was done. He told the council that his attorney has researched the issue and, if necessary, he said he will take legal action against the city for not enforcing their own ordinances.
The conflict is a direct result of the industrial (I-1) zoning and residential (R-1) zoning sharing an adjacent street, in this case First Street, and that the towing company has purchased a lot located in the residential zone (across the street from the salvage yard) and is utilizing it as a parking lot.
The conversation morphed into attempts to discriminate between a parking lot and a lot used to store wrecked vehicles — are they the same, are they different and does that make a difference.
Regan said the residential area in question also is considered part of the Historic District and the Industrial Zone should never have been granted to adjacent properties.
City officials on Wednesday explained that the right of way extends 30 feet from the center of the road and that the Crowley Police Department is charged with the enforcement of specifried ordinances.
A check of the vehicles in question revealed that a car, an SUV and an 18-wheeler parked outside the fencend-in area at the wrecker yard are within the 30-foot right of way.
