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Board of Zoning Appeals -August 16, 2007 MRS. RANI{ERT; Western Ave. steering committee is a group we work with the City and we are the first step in applying for grants for along Western Ave. Our representative from the city was until recently the Mayor's off ce, the housing authority, the community development commission, the prosecutors office and a number of city offices and they work with neighborhood groups. Lilce St. Adalberts is represented, LaSalle Park District is represented. Goodwill and businesses. I'm also a business member also. 'The committee voted on August the first to oppose this based on the idea that there are so many used car lots on Western Ave. Many of those you will see there as businesses also sell used cars and the space is very limited and the possibility of the overflow into the residential area on the side street of Albert Street and Western Ave. is a great possibility. MR. SASSANO: What do you mean by that? MS. RANKERT: The overflow? If he has many repair cars and selling also, there is a very limited space in their parking lot of that building. MR. SASSANO: So you're saying their customers would park on the street? MS. RANKERT: I'm afraid they would park on the street, yes. MR. SASSANO: Their customers? MS. RANKERT: The customers or• the cars while they're being repaired. MR. SASSANO: That's illegal isn't it. They can't park cars on the street. MS. RANKERT: Granted that's illegal but if you look at the pictures, there is a whole lot of that going on along Western Ave. So point one was space is limited and concern about appearance. Most places -along Western Ave are not maintained very well and that's historically the situation. Number two this number of places selling cars along Western Ave. the steering committee is part of the group to improve the Western Ave corridor. And we are really fighting for it to not look like a used car lot from Mayflower Road to downtown. Up keep and appearance of all these lots have not been maintained and although we are encouraging growth, we would like to see growth of other kinds on Western Ave. and that they will reflect more than used car lots. MR. SASSANO: Have you met with the petitioner? MS. RANKERT: No. I have not. MR. HOFFMAN: Anyone else wishing to speak against the petitioner? MS. GERTRUDE NALEPINSKI: I live at 414 S. Albert St. It used to be that lot, I live right across the street from them and I don't think there is room for more automobiles. This will be the seventh automobile sales lot since Walnut Street and Western Ave. We don't need another sales car. I live right across the street, across the alley from Piiicanto, little gas station there that they fix automobiles and they have now since cemented their building but they did not finish off the back of their yard. They have spilled their own water, waste water that they had on the car and they have weeds there. They have not cleaned up any of that there and they have a rail there on the end that is rusty and they are not painting it. But the Code Enforcement is telling me that "I 12