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Panel delays Van Ness garage decision a 3rd time
A central Fresno garage with a loyal clientele but some angry neighbors remained in limbo late Wednesday as the Planning Commission again postponed its review of a city shutdown order.
After its third consecutive four-hour hearing, the commission delayed a final decision on Van Ness Auto Repair until Jan. 6. Commissioners gave little indication of which way they may be leaning.
Customers and other supporters of the garage’s owner, Jim Medina, waited to speak on his behalf only to be told they would have to wait.
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Hearing over historic garage site grinds on
The longest public hearing in recent Fresno Planning Commission history was continued once more Wednesday as the future remained cloudy for a central Fresno garage that city officials have ordered to shut down.
More than eight hours of testimony from the city, the property owner and other witnesses have elapsed in the hearing's two sessions. But almost 100 people were waiting for public comment to begin when the commission recessed until Dec. 16.
Jim Medina's Van Ness Auto Repair, in an 83-year-old historic gas station at Van Ness Boulevard and Princeton Avenue, opened in 2000, two years after the station last sold gasoline.
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EDITORIAL: Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs down to the Fresno Planning Commission, for postponing a final decision until Jan. 6 on whether Van Ness Auto Repair can continue operating. This is the third time the commissioners have failed to make a decision. Customers and other supporters of the garage's owner, Jim Medina, waited to speak on his behalf, only to be told they would have to wait. Though it no longer pumps gas, the old Clements station is billed as the oldest in California and second oldest in the country. It is unfair to both sides to continue dragging this out.
Thumbs up to the new owner of the historic but decaying Bank of Italy building in downtown Fresno. It may gain new life with its purchase by Tom Richards, a local developer. Richards said the deal was done with a focus on downtown Fresno's future and respect for its past. That's the kind of focus we like to hear for historic city properties and neighborhoods.
Thumbs up to the new Orange Cove Police Department, the first the city has had since disbanding its previous force
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Decide carefully on station
The Van Ness Auto Repair controversy involves six issues:
History. Fresno is lucky to have the second-oldest working station in the United States and oldest in the state of California.
Culture. This is an example of early car culture expressed in gas station and garage architecture.
NIMBY. Complaints from nearby residents of 25 and 11 years concerning business operations have merit and must be addressed, but arguments based on "not in my backyard" do not. Automobile repair has been in the neighborhood since the 1920s. No one forced them to buy a house near it.
Smarter law. Fresno should first levy fines for code violations, not use a draconian off/on toggle switch simply shutting down Jim Medina's business.
Future plans. If Van Ness Auto Repair is shuttered, what happens to the site?
Jobs. Closing the garage will put five people out of work at a time when the local economy is suffering.
Actions taken by the City Planning Commission on this matter could attract national attention. Punishing successful
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Keep historic station
In Richard Salinas’ report of city code enforcement, he states that Van Ness Auto Repair is “purposely creating a public nuisance in order to menace his neighbors.” This is categorically false.
Calling themselves a “Strike Force” Mr. Salinas and a couple of neighbors have exaggerated and embellished the charges against the repair shop.
The report also claims that “numerous neighbors” have complained to assert that there have been a slew of complaints. The truth is the majority of the neighbors actually support the Van Ness shop.
The old Russ Clements gas station on Van Ness Boulevard is part of Fresno's bones. Newcomers ask about it. Old-timers testify to its 1920s origin. Most everyone agrees that it's an interesting piece of Americana.
Nearly 30 years ago, City Hall gave the station local historic status in a bid to preserve it. Now city officials are moving to close the auto-repair business operated there by Jim Medina.
Verna Garcia, who lives on Princeton Avenue just west of Van Ness, says it would be an injustice if the city shuts down Medina's shop.
"I feel bad for him," Garcia says. "He has made the place look pretty darn nice, and a lot of people utilize his business."
For its first 60 years, the station didn't generate complaints. In fact, people loved it -- just as Russ Clements loved caring for people's cars, filling their tanks and talking about Fresno State sports teams.
But Clements died in 1986, and a combination of changing economics and tougher environmental regulations eventually forced the station to close in 1998. Two years later, Medina reopened it as a repair shop.
The relationship between Medina and some of his neighbors has been testy-- even though he has cleaned up a property that eventually became an eyesore and built a thriving business.
Part of this friction is due to the fact that no one just happens to live on the stretch of Van Ness between Shields and Fresno High. Homes there are sought out, and residents take great pains to restore and maintain them. The repair shop, though lovingly restored, sticks out in the tree-lined neighborhood.
Some people also might have a bit of amnesia. At one time, there was a grocery store on the boulevard, too. It had a parking lot, and it generated lots of activity. But it burned down and was replaced with homes, making the old gas station appear even more out of place.
The city has revoked Medina's permit, alleging that he has violated conditions imposed three years ago. Among them: parking cars on the street, storing parts outside and and failing to build a low wall around the business.
I'm fairly certain that Medina hasn't followed all the rules all the time. But the Planning Commission, which will take up Medina's appeal Wednesday, should focus on fixing the problems instead of closing the shop.
Medina will be represented by lawyer Tom Boyajian, who worked to save the historic property when he was on the City Council. Boyajian might want to point out that the city has many historic properties -- the Bank of Italy and Hotel Fresno come to mind -- that haven't been used for decades because they aren't economically viable.
So, why shutter a piece of Fresno history that is open for business?
As long as Medina agrees to comply with the rules, I can't think of a good reason. He should get a final chance to make this unique situation work for the neighborhood -- and for everyone who loves the little place that opened when folks drove Model Ts and gasoline cost 23 cents a gallon.
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