Move over, Old Bridgeport Hill Road – you’ve got some company. Well, at least you have some company when it comes to car dealerships.

 

If all goes as planned, Lodgeville Road will soon be home to its second new-car dealership, which will offer two brand names of new vehicles.

 

Community Development Director Randy Spellman said that Martin Automotive Group out of Kentucky has purchased the Volkswagen and Audi dealerships from  Anthony Mancuso and will be moving them from an area just past the Veteran’s Park in Clarksburg to acreage beside the Jenkins Subaru-Hyundai dealership that is thriving on the same roadway.

 

“The dealership will be on the same level as the Jenkins facility as opposed to being on top of the hill that is still an attractive location for someone to develop,” Spellman said.

 

Spellman wasn’t sure of the particulars as there have been no plans submitted to the City of Bridgeport, but the city has dealt with the group. City Council needed to approve a business incentive plan for the group and did so at this past week’s meeting of the City’s governing body.

 

“I believe the property they’ve acquired is in the five-acre range,” said Spellman. “I’ve been told they would like to break ground for the project in February of 2015 and be open for business in December of 2015.”

 

As for getting into the facility, Spellman said it’s his best guess that individuals will enter from the entrance off Lodgeville Road that takes people up to the top of the vacant property on the top of the hill. He said he believes that will be a dual entrance.

 

Particulars for the project were not available. Lee Beckman with Martin Automotive did not return a phone call seeking additional information.

 

“They will have to submit plans to the city and have a review of those plans in front of the Bridgeport Planning Commission, which is standard,” said Spellman. “That’s not been scheduled at this point.”

 

Spellman said the arrival of this group is good news for the city. He said it creates an area that could become known regionally, if not statewide, as a place to come and shop for vehicles. On top of that, he said, it’s in the city limits in an area commercially zoned for that type of business.

 

“Historically, auto dealerships have tried to locate on the outskirts of any municipality throughout the state. When Larry Myers made the leap into Bridgeport several years ago, it turned out to be a good decision to locate on Lodgeville Road and then he sold it to a very reputable outfit in the Jenkins Group,” said Spellman. “What this means is that you’ll have four brands of new cars available in one immediate area."

 

Spellman said it’s not unusual to see car dealerships cluster near one another. He pointed to Bridgeport Hill and other areas where the practice is common.

 

“They’re all competitive with one another, but when people are looking for vehicles the convenience of being able to visit more than one dealership in an immediate area is beneficial,” said Spellman.  “Once they get open, we’re hopeful they can be as successful as Jenkins. Eventually, we’d like to see others in that area will consider developing land for automobile purposes.”

 

Although it won’t be a new dealership, Dan Cava of Dan Cava Toyota World in Fairmont is also developing the lot that housed the former Johnson Plaza. Cava plans on having a used car lot there and said he will likely invest at least $1.5 million in developing the property. Although Spellman didn’t have a figure since no permits have officially been filed, with the acquisition of land, site prep and construction of the building, that likely means easily more than $2 million in development in the Lodgeville area for car dealerships.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured above is Bridgeport Community Development Director Randy Spellman.