By Kathryn Reed

Do It Center is ready to begin a remodel on the old South Shore Motors building in anticipation of opening the general merchandise store in 2010.

Do It Center will be moving into the South Shore Motors building.

The Southern California-based chain had expected to be open in South Lake for a few months by now. Appeals by hardware stores in town delayed the process.

On Tuesday, the City Council voted 3-2 to deny the latest appeal, therefore allowing the store to move in. Councilmembers Bill Crawford and Bruce Grego were on the losing end of the vote.

Both of their wives, Jonnie Crawford and Geraldine Grego, are on the Planning Commission, which heard the appeal in October. This Crawford-Grego team also voted to uphold the appeal.

Mike Mauck, vice president of DIY, told Lake Tahoe News he did not know when the store would open, but knows winter could interfere with the start of construction.

What has kept people coming out to protest the Do It Center is the belief it will compete with stores in South Lake Tahoe and throughout the South Shore that carry similar products.

General merchandise is an allowed use along this section of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and encompasses a broad array of goods. Ace Hardware, which is nearby, is considered a general merchandise store.

A key element that allows the Do It Center to conform and not need a special use permit as it had originally requested is that it won’t sell lumber. Unintentionally the city gave Meeks Lumber a monopoly on that product when it denied the special use permit.

Councilman Bruce Grego sounded like he wanted to ignore the rules on the books when he said, “I think we need to look at the meaning of the language.”

Earlier, Councilman Hal Cole had said, “(The) spirit of the zoning laws need to be upheld.” He further stated zoning regulations have nothing to do with competition and how many of the same number of businesses are next to one another.

Councilwoman Kathay Lovell said survival of any business is going to be dependent on service and price.

Scotty’s and Nel’s hardware stores have the service components locked in. Do It Center says it will be competing with the big box stores off the hill when it comes to price and product.