Council debates allowing CarMax to move into area

Council members got hung up on arguments for and against a proposed CarMax auto superstore on the site of the former Wickes Furniture and had not decided that issue at press time.

The CarMax debate arose when residents in the adjacent French Quarter townhomes appealed the planning commissions approval on the project. The residents argued the auto dealer would generate too much traffic, light and noise.

A spokesman for developer Henry Segerstrom & Sons said other stores that wanted the site, including Kohl’s and Home Depot, would cause far more impact on the neighborhood.

The council also had not voted on whether to sell the city-owned Hamilton Community Garden at press time.

— Alicia Robinson