ST. LOUIS — City Council met Sept. 1 to discuss the fate of Auto Beauty Specialists in Old Webster, which is an area of the city known for its old-fashioned stores, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

A crowd gathered at City Hall debated permitting the auto repair shop to have its site rezoned, stated the article, which would permit the business to continue offering a full line of services.

“I’ve been fighting this fight for a long time,” said John Garber, owner of Auto Beauty Specialists, in the article. “It gets to me because I feel like I’m on trial. We’re not just a body shop. We’re the best. This is America. Let’s do the right thing.”

Some residents believe the auto repair’s services, such as collision repairs, cause “an abundance of noise and pollution,” added the article.

“The fumes, the noise, the smells that come from there [come and go],” stated Andrea Sullivan, who lives directly behind Auto Beauty Specialists, in the article. “But nonetheless, [these instances] happen on a weekly basis.”

However, not all residents are against the rezoning, continued the article.

Dr. Robert Butler, a dentist with an office located across from the auto repair shop, asserted that Auto Beauty Specialists is “a vital part of the Webster business community,” and that the alleged noise and pollution are, in his opinion, “nonexistent,” reported the article.

“I just want the City Council to take all factors into consideration before they shut down a responsible, revenue-producing business in Webster Groves,” shared Butler in the article.

Auto Beauty Specialists initially was granted a permit to perform detailing services only, added the article.

However after city officials received noise and fume complaints and determined that the auto repair shop was offering collision repairs, which is not permitted by the property’s zoning, noted the article, the officials asked Auto Beauty Specialists to stop its collision repair operations.

Read the entire article here.