Planning staff on Oct. 6 presented a preliminary site plan for a car wash, convenience store with fuel pumps, and a drive-through restaurant on about 5.1 acres at the southeast corner of State Highway 121 and Racer Boulevard and recommended approval of proposed screening measures.

A planning staff member explained the site is zoned regional commercial and lies within the State Highway 121 and Expressway Corridor overlay districts. "The car wash and fuel dispensing facilities are within 300 feet, of a residential district," the staff member said, noting the site is separated from the nearest homes by a creek and a heavily vegetated buffer and that staff measured roughly 775 feet from the building to the nearest developed single-family home. Because the drive-through restaurant speaker is approximately 125 feet from the residential district boundary and the screening threshold is 150 feet, staff recommended a 6-foot screening wall and found the combination of wall, natural buffer and separation would minimize impacts.

During discussion, commissioners asked whether the creek area was in the floodplain. A speaker on the record corrected that "there is floodplain. It's on the HOA lot. There is no floodplain on the car wash lot," clarifying that the floodplain was on the common-area lot between the site and residences, not on the proposed development parcel.

Commissioner Bronski moved to approve agenda item number 5 as recommended by staff; Commissioner Lingenfelter seconded. The motion was placed on the record during the meeting.

Clarifying details noted by staff: the subject property totals about 5.1 acres; the applicant proposes a six-foot screening wall; the distance from the nearest developed residence to the building footprint was described as about 775 feet while the drive-through speaker is roughly 125 feet from the residential district border, triggering the overlay screening standard. There were no registered public speakers on the nonpublic-hearing item.