Staff supports vehicle‑wash use at shopping center despite separation concern; design intended to reduce noise
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Summary
Planning staff told commissioners a proposed vehicle wash next to a shopping center (with Sam's Club) met conditional use separation requirements at its closest building point and designed the tunnel and vacuum positions to minimize noise; Paradise Town Board and staff supported the project, public comment included both support and opposition.
At the July 15 briefing, planning staff presented a use permit and design‑review application for a vehicle wash proposed in conjunction with an existing shopping center that includes a Sam’s Club.
The site is zoned CG, where vehicle washes are conditional uses if they meet a 200‑foot separation from residential properties. Staff said the closest residential properties across the street are about 100 feet from the nearest right‑of‑way but that the closest building‑to‑building measurement to the proposed car‑wash building is 146 feet, which met the code analysis staff used to support the use. The applicant oriented the wash tunnel in a north‑south direction to minimize noise toward the nearest residences and placed vacuum stations behind the building to reduce impacts, the staff member said.
Staff recommended approval; Paradise Town Board recommended approval as well. The briefing record lists four public comment cards in support and 10 cards and two letters in opposition.
Why it matters: the use permit raises neighborhood compatibility questions about noise and separation from residential areas. Staff’s analysis relied on building‑to‑building measurements and site design to reduce impacts.
Next steps: the item will be scheduled for a hearing as a nonroutine action; no final decision was recorded at the briefing.