It was serendipitous when Rick Harris was driving down North Verity Parkway and saw a former tire care garage.

The 25-year auto technician thought that would be a good place for a garage. Next month, the Carlisle resident will open Harris Total Auto Care at 535 N. Verity Parkway, which is just north of Reinartz Boulevard.

“I think we can provide that (service) and provide a good service for the city,” said Harris, who is a third generation auto technician.

Middletown was the only location he considered because it’s “a reasonably sized city with a good amount of traffic.”

Harris will resign from his manager position from Pep Boys in Springdale next week in order to open his own shop.

“I was just tired for working for everyone else, making them the big money,” he said.

Harris said he had made the Pep Boys store successful and “would like to come down to Middletown and do the same.”

Before Harris could open his shop, he had to receive a variance from the Middletown Planning Commission, which granted the variance.

The location is in an Urban Core Support District, which allows for office, institutional and recreational uses, and residential. The zone was changed a few years ago while the tire shop still operated out of the 39-year-old building. It has sat vacant for the past few years.

A garage, which is what the building was constructed for, was no longer permitted without a variance allowance. Because of the zoning hurdle and the downturn in the economy is why the location could never attract a tenant or buyer of the property, said Rachel Lewitt, who spoke to planning commission on behalf of Barbara Park Realty Company.

Lewitt told the board the demand for commercial space is on the rise.

“We have an opportunity to fill one of our vacant spaces in the city of Middletown,” she said, “and also provide an essential support service to nearby residences to those who work and live around downtown and to the west of Middletown.”