Planning board approves special-use permit for Mineral Spring car wash, recommends zone change to commercial general

The North Providence Planning Board on Feb. 28 granted a special-use permit to rebuild an automated car wash at 1527 Mineral Spring Avenue and voted to send a positive recommendation to the Town Council to change the parcel’s zoning from Commercial Professional/RS‑8 to Commercial General (CG).

The project team told the board the site has been a car wash for nearly 100 years and the applicant, VP Development LLC, plans to demolish and replace the existing facility with a modern, automated tunnel wash on roughly the same footprint. Joseph Brennan, attorney for the applicant, said the rezoning request is intended to permit a car wash in the CG district by special use permit rather than requiring future use variances.

The board’s engineering discussion focused on stormwater and wastewater management. “There will be a floor drain so that there won't be any... draining into Mineral Spring Avenue,” said Steven Cabral of Crossman Engineering, describing a drain at the tunnel exit and other layout adjustments intended to keep car-wash effluent off the public right-of-way. Cabral added the developer shortened the tunnel by 10 feet — from a planned 140 feet to 130 feet — and adjusted curbing and signage at the site entrance and exit to manage circulation.

Cabral and town staff explained how wash effluent will be handled. “Any effluent that's generated from inside the car wash will go through a a grit oil-water separator and then it'll go into the sanitary system,” Cabral said, adding that car washes are required to meet municipal pretreatment standards before connecting to sewer.

Planning staff said the applicant meets the objective criteria for a vehicle-washing shop in the special-use-permit rules (minimum lot size and internal circulation) and supplied queuing diagrams and landscaping improvements. Members of the board and staff described the recent plan changes as minor and asked that the administrative record note the engineering adjustments prior to final plan sign-off.

After public-comment time drew no speakers, the board moved, seconded and voted to grant the special-use permit. The board then voted to send a positive recommendation to the Town Council for the requested zoning change to CG.

The recommendation will be considered by the Town Council; the special-use permit decision will be reflected in the planning board’s file and engineering documentation before any building permits are issued.