Runnels removes vehicles on deadline day
The cars are gone from Runnels Automotive per a judge’s order that was issued last month.
Just before 10am on Sept. 8 South Lake Tahoe code enforcement and police, along with a couple tow trucks converged in the TJ Maxx parking lot across the street. By noon all of the old vehicles – most of which didn’t run – were removed from the property at the Y.
John Runnels
On Aug. 6 after a four-hour hearing, El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Daniel Proud determined the vehicles were abandoned, which violates city ordinances.
Runnels was issued a dealers’ license in 1979 by the DMV, the same year the city’s Planning Commission approved a special use permit allowing him to store unregistered vehicles at the Emerald Bay Road business. Two of the conditions of the city permit were that Runnels had to maintain valid certification from the state to sell and repair vehicles. They both expired. That gave the city the power to revoke the special use permit.
“Although code enforcement was there to ensure those vehicles were removed, also a towing company offered to assist John and they removed the last of few vehicles John had left to remove,” City Manager Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News. “The outcome resulted in the vehicles removed, John being able to retain all those vehicles, although they are stored in other locations, and compliance with the judge’s order.”
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
I thought it was interesting to look at the old autos. Wonder what will happen to the lot.
I drove by there today and noticed they were all gone and I must say it looks a lot nicer WITHOUT the junked cars parked there. Good riddance old cars.
Considering that’s the intersection where most of the tourist vehicle traffic arrives and departs SLT they won’t have to see that eyesore that was there in the future.
Well done STPD,code enforcement.
He should have pulled a gun on more people, more times, a lot longer ago.
Stand up for your property rights, citizen.
Eyesore aside, the dude is something we can afford to lose as a businessman.
Unless we sell free duels at noon, then by all means stream it live on youtube and see what happens.
I’ll miss the Merkur’s, probably the last ones still around.
I think the empty lot looks MUCH worse than the cars.
Went from the abandon old car look to the abandoned old business look.
The feds need to drive down Tahoe island Drive and really enforce the junk car storage situation.
it will be interesting to see how many more times old Runnels gets Porked by the City.
….kind of miss those cars…
How about he actually REGISTERS a few and brings some back-
too bad. iconoclasts present a threat to and are commonly attacked by low thinkers.
Sorry to see remnants of the past removed from one’s personal property, that are restorable items, that spark interest from the people that enjoy them.
Non running, yet orderly & in good enough condition, to be brought back to life, by a gifted craftsman, that keeps history alive.
Hope Nancy Kerry & the rest of the board lackeys are happy now, they finally won out over a single entity, doing business on his own property..
Important stuff on the agenda eh?
I do Not like The Traffic ,bumper to Bumper on S Lake Tahoe Blvd, All summer its been this way , and the roads are worse, SUCKS
One more step toward changing South Shore into North Star. Plastic, sterile, overpriced but clean and pretty.
On the bright side. Now that this menace has been dealt with some city employees have time to fill pot holes.
Now that corner is just another empty building out of business, great job city! Next time you drive from Stateline to the Y count the empty buildings for rent.
I am glad to see them gone. There was nothing pleasing about rusted out junk cars. It looks better all ready.
Maybe now that he has room he could have crap/craft fairs on his lot every weekend.
I have no sympathy for Runnel. If reached and agreement on how to keep cars on his lot and choose to not hold up his end of the contract. I got news for you folks, fail to preform based on agreements comes with consequences. He has no one to blame but himself.
Rick
I have no sympathy for Runnel. He reached and agreement on how to keep cars on his lot and choose to not hold up his end of the contract. I got news for you folks, fail to preform based on agreements comes with consequences. He has no one to blame but himself.
Rick
Another eyesore gone, thank you SLT code enforcement! Now maybe he’ll sell the lot to someone who can build something useful on it, Trader Joe’s anyone?
MeL: you obviously don’t live here.
Trader Joe’s has already determined that South Shore won’t work for them or they would have gone in where Bev-Mo is or TJ Max. I don’t see Bev Mo lasting based on the few cars I see in their lot.
John Runnels has to remove his collection of rusty old cars from that old gas station. I hope something good happenns to that property.
Keep your fingers crossed, OLS
Runnels still owns the property, doesn’t he ? What makes anyone think he will do anything with it ? Just to spite the city, he will leave it empty, as is !
Yes the bev mo is quite the disaster no? There is no way it’s going to survive.
Kits…I have been told that Trader Joe’s requires a base population of 50,000 people to even consider a city.
So Mr. Runnels has his old cars towed away. Now what happens to the property? It’s in a prime spot and somebody could really make it go well with a good business.
Let’s hope our entrance to South Lake Tahoe is more inviting to our visitors from out of town.OLS
You still don’t get it, do you?
The land belongs to Mr. Runnels. Not to South Lake Tahoe, not to the socialists who comment and insult private property owners, it’s John Runnels’ property. And if he wants to let it sit there vacant, that’s his right to do so. If he chooses to do something else with it, that’s also his right. I still can’t believe how little respect so many of you have for private property, especially since many of you own some. It’s mind boggling.
YOU are not the deciders. The owner of the property is.
Thanks Dog you are so right.
I agree with Dogula that just because this property has the potential to be something that gives tourists a positive first impression of our city, Mr. Runnels has his God given right to be an aszhole and do whatever he wants. Just because some property owners think their home values may be tied to a community wide effort to clean up the place doesn’t make them evil socialists.
I wonder why Dogula’s steadfast adherence to aszhole principles on every level should be respected.
Drive from Echo Summit to the “Y”. Count how many eyesores are along hwy 50. The worst section is close to the “TACKY” fake rock Welcome to Lake Tahoe sign. People have had miles of junk to look at to form their opinion of SLT before they get to the “Y”.
Removing Runnels cars will/has accomplished nothing. This is nothing more than a petty political vendetta.
About as much chance of a Trader Joe’s opening on that corner as United Airlines launching nonstop 757 flights from the South Lake Tahoe airport to London.
The lot looked much better with all the cars. Now it just looks like another abandoned rundown business.
All I can do is laugh when people talk about the Y being the entrance to SLT. Take a poll, I bet greater than 90% of the tourists driving on hwy 50 think SLT starts in Meyers. So as sunriser said, tourists have had several miles of crap to look at before ever reaching the Y .
And isn’t it great that the welcome/info building in Meyers, which is one of the first buildings people see, has been closed all summer and is overgrown with weeds? And let’s not forget the flea market at Elks Club Dr. What a great attraction it is and leads one to think that SLT is a poor-low rent-run down city !
Old Barton Buildings-
With the old buildings gone, the open space looks fantastic.
Thanks !
Here’s what I have noticed since the cars have been removed. Mr Runnel(s) isn’t there as much. I guess without the cars there its hard to pretend he’s actually doing something. When he is there he doesn’t actually do much business, if any. But the thing I see most is potential, the potential of that lot. Can you imagine the amount of sales tax the city could recover if there was a business there actually doing business. The revenue from a Starbucks with a drive-up window could pay for another police officer or could help keep costs down at the Recreation Center. I hope the next time Mr. Runnel(s) gets an offer for the lot; haggle a little bit, then take it. There is no shame in sitting on a beach and drinking rum cocktails.
P.S. I have never met Mr Runnel(s), though I have heard some of the stories and rumors about him, and I don’t know what to think.