LAWRENCEVILLE — The Lawrenceville City Council on Monday unanimously said “no” to another used car sales business in the city.

There are reportedly more than 40 used car businesses already operating in the city.

The council denied a special-use permit requested by Richard and Myrna Blanton to operate a second location of Aztec Automotive and Truck on a two-acre piece of foreclosure property at 905 Grayson Highway. The property, which is zoned general business, was the former location of Awesome Fiberglass & Auto Body. It has been vacant about a year.

The Blantons own and operate an Aztec Automotive and Truck location in Norcross.

Eric Johansen, a landscape architect representing the Blantons, said the applicants planned to improve the existing 6,000-square-foot metal building on the property by adding a glass, brick, stone, and stucco facade to the front and painting the medal sides.

The applicants also would pave the remainder of the property and install a stormwater detention pond, Johansen said.

The city’s zoning ordinance requires a 100-foot buffer between used car sales and residential property. The applicants requested permission to put in a smaller 20- to 25-foot evergreen buffer at the rear of the property, which abuts residential, Johansen said.

“This is an opportunity to put this property back on the city tax rolls,” said Johansen, who added that the business would generate sales tax revenue, too.

The city’s planning commission had recommended approval of the permit with conditions at its December meeting.

David Mellard, president of the Lawrenceville Neighborhood Alliance, urged the council to deny the permit because the proposed use was inconsistent with the city’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

“This request for another used car lot is not in line with the 2030 plan,” Mellard said.

The plan, which has been adopted by the council, identifies the property for professional offices, upscale retail and restaurants, residential, government institutional or religious uses, he said.

Bob Clark, former Lawrenceville city councilman, also spoke in opposition to granting the permit because a used car sales business would be inappropriate for the site.

“We have plenty of used car lots here,” Clark said. “The council needs to look forward and not go back to routinely approving these kinds of requests.”

Lawrenceville is a good market for used car sales which is why these businesses locate in the city, Johansen responded. The proposed site is on a four-lane highway with a traffic count of 20,000 vehicles a day and is unlikely to attract upscale development, Johansen said. It will probably continue to be vacant and deteriorate, he said.

In other action, the council appointed the Lawrenceville-based law firm of Mahaffey Pickens Tucker LLP, to serve as the city’s legal counsel for 2010.