It appears the old McDonald’s site could go from peddling hamburgers to selling used cars.
Oxford resident Tamer Shaker, owner of Redline Motor Group, is looking to transform the site located at 280 N. Washington St., south of Helen St., into a pre-owned vehicle dealership.
‘My plan is to put about 40 to 50 vehicles on the lot,? he said. ‘We specialize in the $7,000 to $20,000 range.?
The site is approximately 1 acre in size and zoned for commercial use.
Shaker, who’s lived here for five years, is scheduled to have pre-application conference during the Oxford Township Planning Commission’s 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9 meeting. It will be held at the Oxford Township office, located at 300 Dunlap Rd., just north of Seymour Lake Rd.
The McDonald’s restaurant that occupied the 280 N. Washington St. site for approximately 30 years was demolished in December 2010. The land, which is owned by North Carolina resident Louise Tuttle, has sat vacant ever since.
‘I think it would be a good location,? Shaker said. ‘It’s right on Lapeer Rd. I know there’s a lot of traffic. There’s a lot of people that go through there. It’s not just people from Oxford. There’s people that live in Lapeer, work in Auburn Hills. It’s a main artery. It should be a pretty good fit.?
If everything goes well, the proposed dealership could ‘realistically? open by the end of September, according to Shaker.
It would be his second. For the last three years, he’s owned and operated Redline Auto Sales at 4516 Van Dyke Rd. in Almont.
‘We’re on Van Dyke right now, which is also a main artery (like M-24), and that’s worked out pretty good for us,? Shaker said.
Redline Motor Group already has a warehouse on S. Glaspie St. in the Oxford Village.
Shaker indicated it hasn’t been decided yet whether a permanent or temporary sales office would be placed on the proposed dealership site. Whether or not it would include an auto detailing facility like the Almont location has also not been determined.
Two to five employees would be needed to staff the proposed dealership.
‘For that many cars, you’re probably going to have at least two salespeople,? Shaker explained. ‘Now, if we put in a detail facility as well, then it’s going to (need) another two or three guys.?