COOS BAY — Buying a new car is a big decision. Building a new car dealership can be an even bigger one.

For Guy Hawthorne, owner of Coos Bay Toyota, there is one less question to consider as he plans to replace his dealership on U.S. Highway 101.

The Coos Bay City Council signed off on his plan to rebuild on the site after neighbors appealed an earlier decision over traffic concerns. But Hawthorne still has to decide whether he wants to build at the location or look elsewhere.

The plan submitted to the council calls for a new showroom, offices and a service center one block to the west of the existing complex, between North Sixth and Seventh streets. The dealership would demolish the existing buildings facing Highway 101 and replace them with a larger outdoor display area, enclosed by sidewalks and improved lighting.

The problem is the foundation, Hawthorne said. Since the dealership is built on pilings, it is possible he would need to spend $1 million just to make sure the land could support a new building. So Hawthorne is looking at other properties in the Bay Area that are on more solid ground.

“Anywhere you stand around the bay, you have that challenge,” he said.

Potentially, there could be one more challenge.

The Rev. Bill Parham, director of the South Coast Gospel Mission, located in the 1900 block of North Seventh Street, is concerned the new design will funnel more traffic in front of the mission. He fears traffic will put children who live there and those who go to a nearby day care facility at risk.

Parham raised these concerns when the project went before the Planning Commission in January. After the commission approved the project, Parham appealed to the City Council.

The councilors thought there might be a problem with one exit onto Seventh Street, but wanted to know more about traffic patterns in the area. So they remanded the decision back to the Planning Commission in February and asked for a traffic impact analysis.

No one ever did the analysis. Instead, the council agreed to reconsider its earlier decision after Hawthorne said his plan wouldn’t change traffic patterns. He also pointed out the cost of an analysis would be as high as $10,000.

“I just thought it was overkill,” Hawthorne said.

This week Hawthorne updated councilors, explaining that his customers would only use the Seventh Street exit for emergencies. An opening onto Sixth Street would serve as the main entrance and exit. Based on what he had seen in the 19 years the dealership has been located there, Hawthorne said 90 percent of traffic coming into the area are his customers, so they wouldn’t be using Seventh Street.

Some neighbors suggested other aspects of the project would lead to more traffic elsewhere. To slow down traffic on Sixth Street, the road will be narrowed and the speed limit reduced to 15 miles per hour. And Orchard Avenue, which runs south of the proposed development, will be improved between Sixth and Seventh streets.

Several people told the council these changes would encourage drivers to bypass Sixth, take Orchard and drive on Seventh.

The council, however, saw no reason to alter the design.

“They are planning to improve one of our entrances into Coos Bay,” said Stephanie Kramer. “They addressed what we wanted and I’d like to see it go forward.”

John Muenchrath noted that Coos Bay Toyota is in a commercial-industrial zone, so it shouldn’t have to account for having an exit onto one of the streets in the area.

The council approved stamped final approval on the project with a 6-1 vote, with only Mark Daily in dissent. He had suggested vacating Sixth Street and letting Toyota maintain it.

The decision came as a surprise to Parham, who thought councilors would want to know why a traffic impact analysis wasn’t performed.

“I don’t know why they had the meeting,” he said. “I think they had already made up their minds.”

He said he would have liked the opportunity to sit down with the city and Hawthorne to discuss alternatives, but no such opportunity arose.

Hawthorne said he spoke with Parham about the project, explaining the traffic flow.

“I never quite figured out what his problem with the project is,” Hawthorne said.

He has yet to file any paperwork, but Parham said he is thinking about  appealing the decision to the Land Use Board of Appeals.

“At the moment, I do think that is my intention, to appeal their decision,” he said.

Hawthorne said he doesn’t have a timeline for making a decision on siting the new building. Wherever he builds, he will not alter the design, he said.