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Planning board denies expansion of manual car wash at West 12th Avenue shopping center
Summary
After extended debate and staff recommendations, the board denied an application to legalize and expand unpermitted canopies and related variances at a shopping center on West 12th Avenue, citing code noncompliance and an unpermitted canopy located on a driveway.
The Planning and Zoning Board voted to deny a request to expand and legalize a manual car‑wash operation at 5350 West 12th Avenue after staff said an existing 460‑square‑foot canopy was built without permits and cannot be legalized in its current location.
Why it matters: The decision stops a proposed replacement/expansion of the car‑wash canopy that the applicant sought to regularize following past unpermitted work; staff recommended demolition of the illegal canopy, installation of a permitted canopy at the 1990 approved location (up to 560 sq ft), and landscape mitigation to restore canopy trees on the site.
Board discussion and outcome: Planning staff explained that the site had received a special‑use permit in 1990 allowing a manual car wash subject to conditions in ordinance 89‑81. Over time the operation expanded without building permits; staff’s field checks showed only four of the originally approved canopy trees remained. Staff recommended allowing a replacement canopy of up to 560 square feet if the illegal 460‑sq‑ft canopy were demolished immediately and landscape mitigation provided. The applicant said demolition and immediate replacement were not feasible and argued for approval to keep the existing canopy while addressing landscaping. After extended back‑and‑forth about feasibility and enforcement, a motion to deny the requested expansion passed by roll call.
Staff conditions proposed (not adopted because board denied request): demolition of the illegal 460‑sq‑ft roof; replacement with a permitted canopy at the approved location (up to 560 sq ft); landscape mitigation by installing canopy trees or paying into the mitigation fund; site plan and building permit submittal.
Next steps: The denial will be reflected in the board record and forwarded to the city council in the usual process if the applicant pursues further review. Code enforcement and building staff indicated the illegal canopy and any unpermitted structures must be removed or corrected prior to business licensing.
