Neighbors Fume Over Plans for Blighted Rick Case Honda Lot

If all goes as planned, a used car lot will breathe some new life into the dilapidated and dormant Rick Case Honda property. 

On Tuesday, Prestige Auto Group approached the Cuyahoga Falls Planning Commission and requested a conditional use zoning certificate to operate an auto sales and service business at 1559 State Rd.

The commission approved the measure 7-0, but not before several residents stood to vent their frustrations over the car lot, which has been in and out of business over the last 40 years in their neighborhood. 

Their gripes ranged from potential eyesores created by broken down cars, to noise created by car repairs, to outdoor lighting, to overflow parking issues, to pedestrian aafety and so on.

Here's what they had to say:

Donna Cunningham (1518 20th Street) -- "I have one question, is (Prestige Auto Group) going to use Highbridge (Road) as their raceway to test cars like Rick Case used to do, from State Road to Campbell (Street). That was like a Barberton speedway...It's one beautiful neighborhood. We dont want it disrupted with another car dealer."

Boyd King (1534 20th St.) -- "I think it's helpful for the planning commission to understand the kind of consternation the neighbors have suffered over this particular location..." King carried on with his complaints for several minutes and was deemed out of order and dismissed from the podium by commission chairman David Seal. 

Terry Gahring (1550 20th St.) -- "I mean, we've really had enough, I think, of car dealers, so this is going to be watched very closely by myself and by most of the neighbors."

According to the city's senior planner Nick Sugar, Prestige will update the 13,000-square-foot property by rebuilding light posts, adding landscaping, removing unsightly foliage, staining the fencing and painting and renovating the showroom.

Under the building code, Sugar stipulated that no loud speakers could be used, that all trash and rubbish remain in a covered dumpster and that any disabled vehicles must be stored indoors.