The city Zoning Hearing Board Wednesday granted a variance to allow a couple to start an auto repair shop in a South Kettle Street building that previously housed a similar enterprise but whose grandfathered status had lapsed.

Rodnee and Nanette Williams of Legacy Auto Worx had been under the impression from a real estate agent that there would be no zoning issue with starting their shop in the neighborhood business zone, according to the Williamses’ lawyer Mike Adams.

They learned when they applied for a business license that there was a problem because more than a year had passed since the earlier shop ceased operations, Adams said.

“Somebody should have clued me in,” Rodnee Williams said.

The Williamses missed the deadline by a month, according to Rebecca Brown, director of the Department of Codes & Inspections.

The Williamses paid $273,000 for the property, which is at the corner of Hudson Avenue, and had invested an additional $150,000 to prepare the shop, Adams said.

The building is not really suitable for housing, according to Rodnee Williams.

There are other commercial properties nearby, including a vehicle repair shop across Kettle Street, so a little more commercialization shouldn’t be an issue, Adams said.

Just across Hudson, the zoning changes, and repair shops are permitted, someone observed.

And Kettle is a busy street with lots of trucks, Williams said.

Moreover, there’s “a pretty good need” for auto repair services in the area, Williams said.

There is adequate off-street parking for the proposed six employees at the shop and the likely customer load, Williams said.

The board approved the variance unanimously, although the shop must not exceed its proposed hours of operation, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

The city would like real estate agents to inform their clients about zoning considerations when they market properties, Brown said.

It’s possible that the person who worked with the Williamses told them there was no zoning issue before the grandfather permission expired, said solicitor Bill Stokan.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.