Southaven aldermen again table wrecker service permit application

Oct 1, 2024 – Southaven aldermen Tuesday night voted to again table an application for a conditional use permit that would allow a towing service and storage facility to set up shop on Airways Blvd., north of Stateline Road at the Tennessee-Mississippi border.  

At the last meeting before Tuesday night, concerns were presented about the location of a wrecker service, named Mace’s Heavy Duty Towing LLC. The current zoning is for light industrial, but there are provisions for the business Michael Mace wants to start at the site.  

Crime concerns from Police Chief Brent Vickers were again brought up during Tuesday’s consideration. Vickers said that area already sees an unusually high rate of auto and property crimes.  

“That one-mile area represents 10 percent of all of the property crimes that occur in the city,” Vickers said. “That is four times the rate of what might be expected.” 

Vickers had earlier said he would be asking for extra-crime prevention measures, such as license plate readers, in the area if the permit was approved. Those would commit crimes that close to the state line would not have very far to go to get back into Tennessee.

Planning Director Whitney Choat-Cook said Mace had recently stopped responding to an email exchange and she wanted to further discuss with him what the city expected from Mace in the conditional use application, if approved.

Mayor Darren Musselwhite said he wanted the two to meet before any final vote it taken.  

“My recommendation would be to table it again and let him and Whitney (Choat-Cook) talk more before any final decision is made,” Musselwhite said. 

Aldermen followed Musselwhite’s recommendation and tabled the application another time.