Work is under way to determine which laws and rules apply to the driveway of a large tract at U.S. 61 North and Oak Ridge Road.

Tuesday, Wade Yeates of the District 3 permit office of the Mississippi Department of Transportation met with John Kemps, owner of OK Cars, which is moving from 1460 S. Frontage Road. That property at the Bazinsky Road intersection near The Home Depot has been sold, Kemps said.

“We (MDOT) control access to property from state highways,” Yeates said.

District 1 Warren County Supervisor David McDonald said OK Cars had asked about a month ago for a driveway permit, which is all the county requires. Development of U.S. 61 North has been sporadic with uses ranging from the main campus of River Region Health System to mini-storage and recycling centers. While members of the board of supervisors have said for years they generally favor at least some zoning of developing areas, no land-use ordinances apply in the area.

“From MDOT’s position, there is a business being started at this location and they are working with us to get legal,” Yeates said.

No paving has taken place on the dirt lot where what appeared to be the stockpiling of old vehicles began more than a month ago. Kemps lists his business as a “multifaceted business” to sell and finance automobiles.

A lot classified as a junkyard is defined by MDOT as “an establishment or place of business which is maintained, operated or used for storing, keeping, buying or selling junk, of or for the operation of an automobile graveyard.”

Junkyards must meet MDOT standards, such as fencing so that the lot is screened from the highway.

The property is near the entrance to several large subdivisions off Oak Ridge Road, including Openwood Plantation, Tucker Crossing, Fairways and Lake Forest.

Kemps said he expects to be open in about 30 days.