At a meeting held December 16, Sussex County Council approved a conditional use request from Joshua Levis to establish an automotive repair business at 6967 Marshall Street in Milford. The property is about one half mile south of Elks Lodge road and was zoned agricultural residential.
“This application came before the Planning Commission in November and was approved with no objections,” Jamie Whitehouse, Planning Director, said. “Planning and Zoning recommended approval of the application.”
Lewes spoke to council about the business he planned to operate on the property.
“I am the sole proprietor of JCL Performance, located at 6967 Marshall Street,” Levis said. “I graduated from Delaware Tech with a degree in sales before pursuing advanced automotive training at Universal Technical Institute. After graduating and returning to Delaware, where I worked at several dealerships and repair shops, I decided to open my own. I’ve been on my property for nine years.”
Levis explained that he constructed three buildings and an original garage that was on the site was retrofitted in 2021. He formed an LLC and obtained a business license.
“I applied for the conditional use permit as soon as I was made aware that it was required and there have been no official complaints to my knowledge,” Levis said. “There is a large field directly behind the property as well as several houses and businesses located on Marshall Street. My current hours of operation are 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday with customers dropping off the vehicles for repairs and picking them up when the repairs are completed. This has been the best way for me to provide my skills and service to the community.”
Levis pointed out that customers may drop off vehicles outside regular business hours. All repairs would be performed indoors and waste fluids property stored and disposed. Levis stated that there would be no impact on local traffic and there would be no more than five customer vehicles on site at one time.”
“I serve my community with integrity and compassion, doing so for several years now,” Levis said. “I plan to continue providing my services.”
No one spoke for or against the request at the public hearing. Council pointed out that Levis must be a good neighbor already as there was no one speaking against the change. Council voted to approve the request unanimously.
