Car Rental Service Proposed on W. College Ave.

What's now an abandoned vehicle inspection center on W. College Avenue might become home to a car rental service.

Dollar Thrifty car rental service would replace the now-closed Envirotest Wisconsin under a proposal recommended Tuesday by the Oak Creek Plan Commission.

Plans call for adding onto and remodeling the building, 561 W. College Ave., and creating a 307-stall parking lot for rental cars in the back. The front parking lot would also be expanded.

"We're taking an abandoned building and making it a vital business," Mayor Steve Scaffidi said. "That's a good thing."

Dollar Thrifty's local operations are based at Mitchell International Airport and will remain there. The Oak Creek facility would maintain and store vehicles, according to the proposal.

Officials worked behind the scenes for about six months before bringing the proposal to the Plan Commission, Scaffidi said. Envirotest Wisconsin closed earlier this year after it lost its state contract to provide emissions testing.

Scaffidi said Dollar Thrifty's plans are another plus for that area of Oak Creek, next to the airport. A Four Points by Sheraton hotel is planned on the other side of Howell Avenue.

"The area is kind of going to be transformed in the next couple years," Scaffidi said.

Dollar Thrifty will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, with about 16 employees working at the site any given time. The business will generate about 200 vehicle trips per day, most of them rental vehicles traveling to and from the airport.

The parking lot won't be seen from College Avenue because it will be behind trees and the building, officials said.

The Oak Creek Common Council will hold a public hearing on the proposal at a later date.