Holmes and his wife, who had owned a vacant lot on the edge of town for more than a decade, finally decided last year to open a high-end used-car dealership. Such a use requires a "conditional" permit under the three-year-old zoning regulations. But since the use Holmes was requesting conflicted with the city's land-use plan, the planning and zoning commission recommended denial of the permit.
Holmes then did some research and discovered that no permit was needed for septic services-related businesses. So he went out and bought 40 "porta-cans," as he calls them, to sell as deer blinds. (Apparently, hunters can shoot from the inside after cutting a hole in a wall.) "You could say they're dual purpose," Holmes says. So far, he's been selling two or three of the $150 toilets each week to people doing construction at their ranches.
City officials, and many residents, are not amused. "It caused an uproar," agrees Holmes, who is trying to make a public statement about zoning rules. The fact is, new-car lots are allowed to sell used cars in that zone, but used-car-only lots are not allowed.
Tom Dolan, a planner and the director of development services, says the city is in the process of trying to change the zoning in a way that would eliminate the eyesore. "I don't know when it will be settled," he says. "The commission will have a hearing to look at the whole gateway area."