Iowa Auto Recycler Seeks Expansion

Jones Enterprise Repair, an auto recycling facility in Des Moines, Iowa, is hoping that the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission will give his company the chance to expand its business through either changing the zoning code on the property where he hopes to expand or give the company a variance from zoning ordinance.

However, Dale Jones, with Jones Enterprise Repair, is not optimistic that the city will grant the variance, which means the company may have to invest a significant amount more money to build a totally enclosed facility.

Jones, who has been operating at the location for more than 20 years, already owns the land where he hopes to expand. However, recently the city rezoned the prospective location from M-2 (heavy industry) to M-1 (light industry). Salvage yards are required to operate in an M-2 zoned facility.

Jones says that his company already has invested a sizable amount of money to erect a new building on his existing location. They also are looking to spend more than $20,000 to erect a fence around the property.

Along with Jones Enterprise, there are a half dozen other salvage yards on the street.

According to local reports Jones is seeking to have around 12,000 square feet rezoned for his expanded facility.

A spokesman for the Des Moines Zoning and Planning Department, says that while the expansion is for around 22,000 square feet, if they do receive the approval for a conditional use permit, the company would have to have to create a 25-foot setback for the operation, reducing the total expansion to around 12,000 square feet.

Other investments the company would need to make if they receive the authorization would be the requirement to install a fence of between 8 feet and 12 feet, the aisles in the yard would need to be paved, and automobiles could not be stacked higher than the height of the fence.

While the company presently has 300 cars on his property, he has had as many as 1,000 cars stored on his site.