Key points
- What was approved: A Garrett Motors parking site was rezoned from residential to commercial.
- Why the expansion: JD Garrett told the council the dealership has grown from 30 employees and 70 cars sold per month in 2012 to nearly 50 employees and about 120 cars sold per month today, requiring more space for vehicle inventory.
- Where: Across Pinkley Avenue from the main Garrett Motors Chevrolet-GMC dealership at Arizona Boulevard and Pinkley.
- What changes for residents: The site has been used as parking for at least 15 years; it will be paved with millings rather than remaining a dirt lot. No buildings are planned.
COOLIDGE, AZ — The Coolidge City Council approved the Garrett Motors rezoning of approximately 1.445 acres located generally north of West Pinkley Avenue and west of North 4th Street, changing the designation from residential to commercial.
The size was reduced from an original 1.745-acre request after the applicant agreed to remove two parcels fronting West Pima Avenue at the request of nearby residents. The unanimous vote on April 27, 2026 clears the way for the dealership to formally use the parking site, which has been used for at least 15 years, as a used car lot. Council also abandoned a portion of alley right-of-way between Garrett Motors parcels, with a 20-foot public utility easement reserved for the City.
What the Garrett Motors rezoning means for the neighborhood
Staff told the Planning and Zoning Commission that, according to the applicant, the property will be resurfaced and paved as a used car parking lot, with no buildings planned for the site.
Relaying the applicant’s plans, staff said the rezoning supports an expanding business. The dealer needs more room to display vehicles, is growing the maintenance side of the operation, and is adding employees.
Residents raised concerns that C-3 zoning permits more than parking. Staff said the applicant specifically stated the property would be used as a used car lot.
Property status and bringing the site into compliance
The site has operated as overflow parking for years despite its R-1 designation. Mayor Jon Thompson said the property “has been a dirt lot for all this time, and I guess nobody really knew that it was still zoned residential.”
Staff framed the rezoning as a cleanup measure, telling the Planning and Zoning Commission the change would start bringing the property back into compliance with how it is already being used. Because the lot will be used for parking, staff said the applicant will have to install a dust-free surface treatment.
Public comments at Planning and Zoning
The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on April 8, 2026 and recommended approval of the reduced 1.445-acre request, with one commissioner voting against.
Jim Allen, the property owner whose mother has lived on West Pima for 54 years, asked the commission to exclude the two Pima Avenue lots and the connecting alley section. He told the commission three currently occupied homes remained on the residential street and asked that those residents be allowed to enjoy the peacefulness of what they had purchased years ago.
Allen said the original 1.745-acre proposal would have damaged resale value for the homes between the proposed parking lots. “You basically got two residences in between two parking lots. You can basically call the resale off the table, except for the person that wants the whole property,” he said, noting the threat had been removed when those lots were taken off the proposal.
Kathy Sinks, a 45-year resident of West Pima Avenue, opposed the expansion. She worried that once rezoned, the property could host any C-3 commercial use. “Maybe once it’s zoned, he can do anything with it. He can put a machine shop there. He can change his mind tomorrow,” Sinks said. She also pointed to family-oriented city events held in the lot directly across the street.
Patty Burton, a West Pinkley Avenue resident next to existing Garrett operations, described ongoing problems with large vehicles blocking driveways, debris and trash blowing onto her property, and weeds. She also reported that lights from Garrett’s glare into her house. Burton urged that if the work is going to be done, it should be done properly.
Raul Felix, a West Pima Avenue resident of nine years, raised safety concerns about increased truck traffic on a street where children ride bicycles. He also reported floor mats from the dealership blowing into his yard.
Chairman Al Metcalf vouched personally for Jim Garrett and encouraged residents to speak with him directly about ongoing issues. “I know the man himself. I know what he’d say,” Metcalf said, telling residents that if Garrett knew about debris and other concerns, he would address them. Vice Chairman Tom Scott offered a different view, noting that the responsibility to manage trash from a business belongs to the business owner, not nearby residents. Staff indicated they would refer the parking and debris complaints to Code Enforcement.
Concerns about permitted uses under C-3 zoning
Vice Chairman Tom Scott asked whether the commission could attach a stipulation limiting the property to use as a parking lot only. City Attorney Nick Cook said it could not, because the zoning code does not list “parking lot” as a principal permitted use. Cook explained that parking is only allowed as an accessory to a principal use, and said Garrett Motors currently operates under the principal use category of automobile, boat, recreational vehicle sales, service, and rental. Cook said any stipulation the commission recommended would have to be tied to a use already defined in the zoning code. The closest available option, he suggested, would be to recommend approval with a stipulation limiting the property to that vehicle sales, service, and rental category, similar to how Garrett Motors operates today. Cook also noted the applicant could voluntarily place a stipulation on the property, and staff could ask whether the applicant would be willing to do so.
Public comments at the council meeting
JD Garrett, a fourth-generation member of the family-run dealership founded in 1936, told the council the Pinkley Avenue dirt lot has been used for parking for at least the last 15 years and will be paved with millings. He said the family was unaware the lot was zoned residential until the city notified them when they purchased the Pima Avenue lots. Garrett explained that only the Pinkley Avenue dirt lot needed to be rezoned, but since the family was already paying the $750 rezoning fee, they decided to include the additional Pima Avenue lots they had purchased. “The residents didn’t like it, and so we’re fine with not rezoning it. We’re not here to cause a stir. We’re here to get along with all of our neighbors,” Garrett said.
Garrett also described the dealership’s growth. The business now has nearly 50 employees and 16 technicians and sells about 120 cars per month, up from 30 employees, six mechanics, and 70 cars per month in 2012. The dealership currently has about 115 new vehicles in inventory across its lots, with about 50 more arriving in roughly a month.
Allen thanked the city and the Garrett family for removing the Pima Avenue lots from the request. He said he had no objection to Garrett fencing off the alley section adjacent to the rezoned property and confirmed his mother’s property would still have alley access from her end. Sinks reiterated her opposition, told the council that none of her neighbors support the expansion, and questioned whether the city had conducted impact studies.
Councilmember Tom Bagnall said JD Garrett had stated his intent to work with neighbors and reach a compromise.
Mayor Thompson said he walked the block and the alley earlier that day. He raised a safety concern about emergency access to the back of the houses if the alley were closed, but acknowledged that fire trucks already cannot navigate the alley curve regardless of the abandonment. Staff clarified that the fencing would not extend the full length of the alley. Residents on the unfenced portion would retain access from 4th Street, and the city would keep utility access through the easement. Thompson said he wanted to make sure existing residents were not impacted any more than necessary and described the rezoning as a cleanup item that should have been done long ago.
Alley abandonment and utility easement
The City abandoned approximately 0.135 acres of alley right-of-way located between the Garrett Motors parcels north of Pinkley Avenue. Title to the abandoned section transfers to the JLG Trust, with Jim and Lisa Garrett as trustees, which assumes maintenance costs, liability, and property taxes on the parcel. The City retained a 20-foot wide public utility easement over the abandoned alley.
Site plan and next steps
Garrett Motors will continue with site plan work for the paving project. Hansen Engineering and Surveying is preparing the grading plan, and contractors are already lined up for the paving work. Depending on the scope of the project, Garrett Motors may also need to go through a site plan review with the Development Services Department before paving begins.
