The Whitefish Community Development Board recommended approval of WCUP 25-08, a conditional‑use permit for a seven-bay Rocky Mountain Car Wash proposed for a subdivided commercial lot along U.S. Highway 93 South.

Board members and staff said the site is in a commercial WB‑2 zone and meets the city’s zoning and setback standards; the applicant provided a site plan, queuing calculations and a comparative traffic analysis estimating fewer than 200 vehicle trips per day. Staff recommended approval with conditions addressing architecture, landscaping, stormwater, trash screening, bicycle parking and fire code compliance.

Why it matters: The site is near a planned Snowy Mountain subdivision and existing commercial uses, and several nearby residents and local car-wash operators expressed concern about cumulative water use, sewage capacity, traffic circulation and noise. The board attached a staff‑recommended set of conditions and added a friendly amendment requiring integration of silenced dryers and “best feasible” water‑preservation/recycling technology.

Applicant’s presentation and mitigation: Taylor Kasperic of Performance Engineering and Riley (representing Rocky Mountain Car Wash) described the project as a seven‑bay facility with four self‑service bays and three automatic bays (the automatic bays operate by equipment that moves around a parked vehicle rather than a tunnel conveyor). The applicant estimated under 200 vehicle trips per day and said vacuums would be housed in an enclosed structure and that lower‑noise dryer options can be used. The company said it uses reverse‑osmosis spot‑free water systems and reuses reject water for earlier wash passes, typically reclaiming a meaningful portion of water though not 100 percent. The applicant indicated openness to installing quieter dryers and to evaluate additional recycling if financially feasible.

Public comment and concerns: Nearby homeowners and Riverview Meadows Homeowners Association president Andrew Bing opposed the proposal, citing existing car-wash density, water and sewer rates, and potential traffic impacts at the nearby intersection. Dennis Doherty, owner of the Whitefish Superwash across the street, said competition and the concentration of car washes could create traffic congestion and hurt locally owned businesses; he said his facility recycles about 70–80 percent of its water. Staff and the applicant responded that this site will access a new internal collector road (rather than direct access to Highway 93) and that impacts will be dispersed through other arterial connections.

Board conditions and vote: The board’s approval included staff’s recommended conditions plus a friendly amendment requiring integration of a silenced dryer system and “best feasible” water preservation/recycling technology, along with architectural review requiring design differentiation from corporate prototypes. The board noted that conditions can be revisited only by a formal CUP amendment and that engineering details (stormwater, public works review) remain under staff review. The motion to recommend approval passed unanimously.

Next steps: The recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final action; staff will continue coordination with MDT (Montana Department of Transportation) on highway access and with Public Works on water and sewer capacity.