Location, location, location

While the City of Sundance is always interested to welcome new business to town, the question of location can occasionally prove a stumbling block. Such was the case when Plains Towing & Recovery of Sturgis visited the council on Tuesday to announce the company’s hopes to open a third location in Sundance.

While pleased to hear the news and quick to express interest in having the company come to town, Mayor Paul Brooks was concerned at the suggested site for the new business: a 3.5 acre plot currently up for sale near the Best Western motel, located in the commercial zone. Aesthetically speaking, he felt this might not be the best place for a salvage yard.

Council Member Joe Wilson mirrored the mayor’s concern, commenting that the site is at one of the entrances to Sundance and a wrecking yard could be “kind of a rough deal to come in to”. He also pointed out that, while Plains Towing has a good reputation, what might happen if the yard was one day sold to someone less clean and tidy?

Karla Greaser of Trihydro provided information about the city’s zoning code, telling the council that wrecking or salvage yards are permitted in the industrial areas but prohibited in “planned light industrial” and not mentioned in the commercial zone’s code. Greaser suggested that, in her opinion, if the intention had been to allow such a business in the commercial zone, it would have been noted as permissible.

The question was raised as to whether the business qualifies as a wreckage or salvage yard. As an emergency recovery service, Plains Towing is primarily focused on collecting disabled or wrecked vehicles from the interstate and does not disassemble and salvage them.

Regardless, said Greaser, the two types of business are treated as the same in the city’s zoning ordinance.

However, while the council did not seem keen to grant a variance to allow a wrecking yard within the commercial zone, Mayor Brooks did suggest what he thought could be a “win-win” situation.

In exchange for the city’s involvement in the Croell Redi-Mix headquarters project, the state required that a five-acre piece of land be granted to the city. This recapture property was given to promote economic development, Brooks said.

On that basis, and because Plains Towing has stated its intention to ultimately bring four new jobs to town, the mayor suggested that the city could trade the five acres to the company in exchange for the 3.5 acres it had been planning to purchase.

Located in the industrial zone and with good access to the Port of Entry and interstate, Brooks felt the property would meet the company’s needs.

“At the end of the day, I would like to come up with a deal. That’s my goal,” he said.

Representatives for Plains Towing were amenable to the idea and the council indicated its willingness to look into the plan and passed a motion allowing the mayor to pursue it further.