Military Vehicles Allowed to Stay
Saying they want to preserve diversity in Old Town, City Council members have voted to allow the storage of two military tanks and a truck in the parking lot of a Main Street auto parts store.
“We have an eclectic Old Town,” Mayor Tracy Wills Worley said. “Where else can you find a furrier next to a bar?”
Vince O’Connor, owner of Pacific Auto Parts, has kept the vehicles in his parking lot at 125 W. Main St. for several years without controversy. But recently a neighboring business owner lodged a complaint with the city.
That prompted city staff members to ask O’Connor to seek a special permit from the City Council.
At a lengthy public hearing, nearly 50 people spoke in support of keeping the tanks and truck. The vehicles, they said, add to the mix of interesting sights in the historic district.
O’Connor’s business restores military vehicles and also leases them for use in movies.
--BY JOHN POPE, HOPE HAMASHIGE AND DEBRA CANO
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