Consignment yard set to open at Porterville site

A lot located alongside Highway 65 earmarked for road development and consequently denied use permits will soon host an equipment consignment and storage yard.

The City Council awarded Steve Penn a temporary structure permit at its Aug. 18 meeting, citing the opportunity to renovate the site and collect tax revenue as reasons for giving out the first conditional use permit on the zoned lot.

The area is located at 952 W. North Grand Ave. and has been a storage facility since it was annexed by the city in 1978.

One of the main reasons the lot has remained vacant is that a freeway interchange will be built over the property in the coming decade.

Mayor Pete McCracken, who voted against the proposal, said he would have liked to know more about the road construction that will take place on the property in the future before granting the permit.

“I voted against it primarily because I didn’t believe it was a good use of the property in that position with the uncertainty of the future overpass,” he said.

According to the project description on the council agenda, most of the property will be affected most by a Measure R improvement program which has proposed an interchange improvement in the area.

“I just wanted to find out more information about the overpass before we approved something,” McCracken said.

Penn, who has been working on the project for seven months, has cleared debris from the area, repainted the small shop and fixed area fences.

He said he hauled 17 roll-bins full of trash and brush from the property during the clean-up process. He plans to set up a consignment yard for farm equipment and other vehicles.

“You see all the cars on the corners for sale — I want people to bring their cars to me,” Penn said.

He said he plans to charge a fee to rent a berth on the yard, where the vehicles will be displayed for passersby.

“They’ll be able to rent a space there on the front of the highway where everyone can see [what they’re selling],” he said.

Penn said he is still in the planning stages, but will begin advertising in September.

The lot has been improved with decomposed granite to minimize dust.

“It’s really, I think, a home run hit,” Penn said.

Councilman Cameron Hamilton said the council allowed Penn to pave with temporary DG instead of asphalt since they don’t know when construction may begin on the proposed freeway interchange.

The only structure that will be built will be a shade covering for workers and some equipment.

Hamilton said the council was impressed by Penn’s effort to remake the appearance of the lot.

“It was pretty trashy looking,” he said. “He made it a lot more aesthetically pleasing [to look at] as you’re going down our highway.”

-- Contact Sarah de Crescenzo at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or sdecrescenzo@portervillerecorder.com.