Lindon residents protest used-car lot plans

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jul 8, 2004 by Jesse Hyde Deseret Morning News

LINDON -- State Street may look like one big strip mall in other Utah County towns, but Lindon folks would like to keep it a rustic country road.

And that is why several dozen turned out for a heated and emotional City Council meeting Tuesday to protest a used-car dealership on 600 North and State Street.

The council ignored their pleas and approved the dealership -- a Low Book Auto Sales -- which will sit across the street from a Wal- Mart that should open in August.

Residents at the meeting complained that the two businesses would increase traffic and crime while driving down property values. One resident broke down in tears asking the council to at least put speed bumps on 600 North.

Dave Nielson, Low Book Auto Sales owner, shared his rags-to- riches story -- he's a high school dropout who turned a business run out of an apartment into a $40 million a year operation -- and tried to assure concerned residents the dealership wouldn't be the typical used-car lot.

"I understand your concerns," he said. "If I heard used-car dealership I'd think of flat tires, old junky cars and pre-fab trailers. I'd be down here with my pitchfork, too."

His will be a high-tech car lot, he insisted, that may even include a waterfall near the entrance. The dealership would enhance the neighborhood, he said, with a "Deer Valley look, with lots of stone."

His pitch fell flat with many at the meeting.

"I just don't believe everything a car salesman is telling us. Their promises are so flimsy," said Kathy Rockhill. "I don't want Lindon State Street to become a big used-car lot and auto repair shop."

Others worried that his customers would commit crime in the area.

"Have you seen ads for his business or heard them?" asked Jay Deher, who represented a group of 19 neighbors. "He advertises on Jerry Springer. He advertises on a rap radio station. . . . People who are going to come in and buy these cars, we don't want them in our neighborhood. We don't want crime in our neighborhood."

Deher, a real estate agent, said he would prefer a Lexus or Jaguar dealership. He presented the council with a 15-page report he had prepared, showing how property values throughout Lindon would plummet if the dealership were approved.

But not everyone was swayed.

"When I moved here we had a beer joint that played western music with their doors open," said longtime resident Carl Clements. "We never had any problems with any crime. We never had any drunks driving around our neighborhood. It didn't make our property values go down."

Other residents supported the dealership, saying development near their homes was inevitable because of their proximity to State Street. Residents and council members said they would rather work with Nielson, who seemed responsive to their needs, than representatives of a national franchise.

The approved site of the dealership is passed by 56,000 cars a day, Nielson said, making it a prime piece of property.

The city's Planning Commission must now approve the site plan.

Mayor Larry Ellertson assured residents the city remains committed to keeping out other car lots.

"We don't want the entire State Street landscape to be covered with used-car dealerships," he said.

E-mail: jhyde@desnews.com