The Greensboro City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to block the expansion of a used-car dealership in the Benbow Park Community.
Akan Davis, owner of Kings Automotive, made the request to rezone an empty lot on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. and South Benbow Road. A dozen residents of the Benbow Park community came to the meeting and roundly opposed the rezoning, citing fears that it would negatively affect the appearance of the neighborhood and potentially create environmental hazards from fuel leaks.
“This isn’t to say we’re not for his business, however, this is not the right place,” said Sharon Graber, a 20-year resident of the Benbow Park neighborhood. “Because we’re a Black community we’re supposed to take any kind of business... to allow this to happen would be a smack in the face to the hard work that is currently taking place to clean the neighborhood up.”
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Davis started Kings Automotive in April after leaving a franchise dealership in High Point. He currently operates his dealership from a temporary office in the Benbow Business Center in an effort to serve customers in his hometown community of South Greensboro.
Although Davis said he plans to give away three to five cars a year through a personal charity, the council remained firm that the empty lot wasn’t “the right fit.”
“As you’re growing and expanding, that goes farther into the neighborhood,” said Councilwoman Tammi Thurm. “With that vision, it doesn’t belong there. You need to find a lot where you can grow incrementally.”
Davis’ plan for the future included an eventual purchase of a vacant home near the parking lot he currently uses for a temporary location. He also mentioned that he hopes to eventually buy a Hyundai franchise, which he would merge with his own business.
Sidney Evans, the president of the Benbow Park Community Association, said that the empty corner lot should host a building with a better long-term effect.
“We want to put something there that’ll be beneficial to the community 20, 30, 50 years out,” Evans said.
Evans and Councilwoman Sharon Hightower, who represents the Benbow Park community said that they feared Kings Automotive might become an eyesore to the community like some other used-car dealerships across the city.
Davis told the News & Record that he resented comparisons with other used-car dealerships.
“I’m not going to do business that way,” said Davis. “When you look at my facility, you’re going to know I’m serious about what I do.”
Evans told the News & Record that he had been in contact with Jeremy Simpson, a Greensboro businessman and executive director of the housing development organization Housing Tree. Simpson didn’t confirm whether or not he would purchase the lot but said that it has “potential”.
“I don’t think a used car dealership is great for the community, although I understand what he’s trying to accomplish,” said Simpson. “A mixed-use building on the lot could work well. Retail on the bottom floor with apartments on top.”
Councilwoman Sharon Hightower, who represents the Benbow Park community, said that a coffee shop might fit the empty corner lot.