By Liz McMahan
The City Council will break a tie vote tonight on a proposal by a towing service to use a South Main building to store wrecked vehicles.
Christopher Fulton, 25, bought the building at 620 S. Main St., last year, planning to store vehicles picked up by his Bargain Wrecker Service there.
He knew the zoning was E-1 Local Commercial and was told that would meet the requirements for his business. He never intended to get into a fight with city hall.
“I’m just a poor man trying to make a living,” Fulton said. “That’s all I’m trying to do.”
He picks up wrecked and repossessed vehicles and holds them for a few weeks before they are sold, crushed or the insurance or finance companies send someone to get them.
Gary Garvin, city planning director, says the zoning isn’t correct for Fulton’s business, that it should be F General Commercial. South Main isn’t suited to that zoning category.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the council deny the request because it does not fit into the city’s future land use map and there were objections from neighboring property owners.
Those objections expressed concern over their property being devalued. An official with Downtown Muskogee Inc., objected to the rezoning because the property is on a main artery into the city and would give visitors “a very negative impression.”
Fulton says he has already spent thousands of dollars cleaning up and improving the property.
“There’s been a huge improvement in this place in the last 60 days,” he said.
He’s taken plywood off the windows of the old laundromat and plans to keep the 2.06 acre lot mowed and trimmed this summer, Fulton said. He’s ready to paint the building and put up a fence, but work has been stopped until the zoning matter is settled.
With the towed vehicles being stored inside, Fulton’s business won’t look any worse than flea markets and other businesses in the area, said his attorney, Steve Scherer.
Fulton said he has plenty of room inside.
The council, acting as the Public Works Committee, voted 4-4 Tuesday on whether the property should be rezoned. Councilor David Jones was absent for the vote. Councilors Jim Ritchey, James Gulley, Shawn Raper and Jackie Luckey voted to deny the rezoning; David Ragsdale, Robert Perkins, Bob Luttrell and John Tyler Hammons voted not to deny it.
Reach Liz McMahan at 684-2926 or lmcmahan@muskogeephoenix.com.
