A Michigan judge has kicked over 200 Teslas out of a suburban Detroit shopping mall car parking zone after sitting there virtually untouched for months. On June 4, forty seventh District Court Judge Marla Parker ordered that the owner of Hunter’s Square shopping center in Farmington Hills needed to remove the vehicles by June 25 because keeping them there was in violation of city code.
City Manager Gary Mekjian said the Teslas were completely passed by June 19, in line with Automotive News. At their peak, there have been 204 Teslas being kept in that mall’s car parking zone, waiting for fools to purchase them. Immediately, it is not clear where the vehicles ended up being taken.
Here’s what Mekjian told AutoNews concerning the situation and an ordinance that barred the cars from being stored on the mall:
“Town of Farmington Hills is committed to upholding city ordinances that preserve the character of neighborhoods and business corridors, encourage responsible development, and protect the security and quality of lifetime of all who live, work, and visit here,” Mekjian said. “Those ordinances help maintain community standards and consistent enforcement supports the long-term success and well-being of the complete community.”
A protracted time coming
This whole situation has been ongoing for months at this point. The mall’s property manager had been notified as early as March 13 that storing these Teslas wasn’t allowed on the property. On March 11, a grievance was filed that indicated “roughly 20 brand recent Tesla vehicles” had been “parked within the lot suddenly,” in line with AutoNews. If I lived nearby, that might definitely piss me off. No one wants to have a look at that many Cybertrucks each day.
A property manager apparently fired back, saying the shop had received approval “by two previous code enforcement officers” since Tesla had a lease for that use. That might need been a lie, though, because town’s zoning division supervisor said there was “no evidence” of that occuring.
Tesla employees who were seen picking up the cars weeks ago told CBS News Detroit that the vehicles are sold and marked for delivery, and the nearby service center’s owner also owns the shopping mall. Back in February, Tesla opened a new-vehicle showroom and repair center in a former Barnes & Noble store nearby in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
“I assumed that was interesting, surprising, should be a zoning issue … It’s interesting the service center doesn’t have space,” someone who lives near the mall told CBS.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
