By Michael Burke
Journal Times | Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008 12:00 am
IVES GROVE - Racine Motor Sports is a step away from being able to move out of Racine and build a new Honda motorcycle dealership in Yorkville.
Scott Darville, owner of Racine Motor Sports, 2005 Lathrop Ave., hopes to buy about seven acres in Yorkville, slightly southwest of the intersection of highways 20 and 45.
There he would build a new $2 million Honda dealership with sales and repair of motorcycles, recreational vehicles and power equipment. The project would include a main 18,000-square-foot building and a 6,000-square-foot storage building behind it.
Darville has a pending purchase agreement to buy three parcels west of the Country Rose Cafe along Highway 20, pending county and town approvals.
On Monday night he met no opposition during a public hearing in Ives Grove before the Racine County Economic Development and Land Use Planning Committee, where Darville sought a conditional-use permit.
The plan also requires Yorkville Town Board approval.
"I haven't heard of anybody getting worked up about it," Town Chairman Jim Moyer said Monday.
Darville explained that his customer base comes from west of Interstate 94, Kenosha and northern Illinois as well as the city of Racine. Moreover, he said his existing building, which Darville rents, needs work.
"It's not going to work for me," Darville said.
His new dealership, which Darville hopes to open next spring, would be the first new Honda store in Southeastern Wisconsin in 23 years, he said.
It would sell all Honda vehicles except cars. That includes motorcycles, scooters, watercraft, all-terrain vehicles and residential lawn mowers and snowblowers.
The land is now owned by Mike Rudan and Shawn Mathiesen. It is already zoned appropriately for the project.
The new building was designed by Nielsen Building Systems of Caledonia, which would also be the general contractor.
Darville and attorney John Bjelajac, who is representing the landowners, previously presented their conceptual plans to the Yorkville Town Board. Bjelajac said he did not expect any significant obstacles to getting the project started.
Racine Motor Sports employs about 12 people now, and Darville said that would expand to about 18-20 if and when he opens the new dealership.
He told the committee some road testing of vehicles would be done on the property which is largely surrounded by countryside, but the dealership will operate mainly during daytime hours.