Hearing Set on Plans for Auto Dealership

The City Council will hold a public hearing tonight to discuss a proposed auto dealership.

The council will look over plans for the relocation of Mission Viejo Imports, a Mercedes-Benz dealership, from its Avery Parkway location to an empty 21-acre lot at Paseo de Colinas and the San Joaquin Hills toll road. The proposed move could mean an extra $400,000 per year in sales tax revenue for Laguna Niguel.

Because the proposed site is boxed in by railroad tracks, residential neighborhoods and the San Joaquin Hills toll road, builders will have to take extra measures to provide access to the proposed dealership.

Planners intend to use a residential street that empties onto Paseo de Colinas as the entrance. Avenida de Ceballos will be turned into a cul-de-sac to keep dealership traffic out of their neighborhood.

“Access has always been the tough issue,” said Robert Montgomery, city planning director.

At a recent Planning Commission hearing on the project, residents expressed concerns about increased traffic, noise, lighting and security. Homeowners stressed they don’t want their streets used for test drives.

As conditions of the approval, the dealership will be required to curb display lighting away from homes and require employees to use walkie-talkies to communicate with salespeople on the lot instead of a public address system.