The Ferndale Planning Commission on March 18 recommended that City Council deny a special-land-use request for a proposed El Car Wash and two-story office at the former Tim Hortons site on Woodward Avenue, and the commission voted to table the site plan so the applicant can revise materials and meet with state and city reviewers.

The decision follows a two-hour public hearing during which the applicant outlined site design, water reuse, noise mitigation and traffic analyses, and more than 40 members of the public spoke — most opposing the project because of noise, odors, traffic and safety concerns in the adjacent neighborhood.

The applicant team said the site is roughly 0.7 acres and would replace a long-vacant building with a mixed-use development comprising a tunnel-style car wash, enclosed vacuum area, and second-floor office space the applicant described as corporate offices. Gabe Shukman, the applicant representative, told the commission the company plans to invest about $10,000,000 in the project and described water-reuse systems that recover roughly 90% of wash water. Mitchell (Mitch) Harvey of Stonefield Engineering presented site details, saying the design provides 27 queue ("stacking") spaces in the tunnel queue (and additional on-site stacking and vacuum stalls) and two curb cuts with MDOT sign-off for the primary Woodward access. He said vacuum stalls will be enclosed to reduce sound.

“By bringing the building to the sidewalk, providing the bike racks, the bike areas, the sitting areas, it certainly promotes the beauty of Woodward as well as the pedestrian activities there,” architect Amy Green said while showing elevations and materials the team proposed.

Opponents who live closest to the site described impacts they expect from a high-volume, automated car wash. Megan Buckingham, who said she lives at 361 College Street, told commissioners: “If Honeybaked Ham and the car wash are both operating at full capacity, I can tell you now that there will be complete chaos.” Jonathan Borland, whose family lives directly behind the property, said vacuum noise, running engines and chemical odors would intrude on family life: “Imagine our 8 year old trying to relax or do homework in her bedroom when tons of vacuums and 27 cars are stacked up and running about 20 feet away,” he said.

Children and parents from nearby College Street cited safety concerns for kids who play in the street and for cyclists using newly installed Woodward bike lanes. A number of speakers, including Downtown Ferndale executive director Jenny Beaker, said the site sits within the downtown/TIF boundary and argued an auto-centric use would be incongruent with the city’s master plan objectives for walkability and commercial reinvestment.

Supporters of the project, including long-time residents who live farther from the site, said the property has been a blight for years and a new development would add jobs and tax revenue. Ray Crusette, who lives on Pearson Street, said Woodward is a high-volume thoroughfare and that modern equipment and enclosed vacuums mitigate noise.

City and third-party technical reviewers also spoke at the hearing. The applicant’s traffic consultant said MDOT reviewed and approved the curb-cut geometry and that intersections analyzed in the study will operate at level-of-service D or better with the project; the city’s consulting engineer (Giffels Webster / Mike Darga) reported additional review and said the team revised internal turning geometry and other details during the staff review. The applicant and the project’s operations lead, Samantha Bergner, said the business uses modern equipment, a three-stage settling filter and reverse-osmosis water treatment, and that chemical storage on site would be minimal and maintained per vendor specifications. Bergner also said vacuum stations are monitored and trash receptacles are emptied frequently.

Commission action split on two items. An initial motion to recommend approval of the special land use failed for lack of a second. A later motion to recommend denial passed on a roll-call vote (6 in favor, 1 opposed, 1 abstention). The commission then voted to table the site plan to allow the applicant to pursue additional study and revisions (vote to table: 7 in favor, 1 opposed).

Votes at a glance

- Motion to recommend denial of the special-land-use request (Planning Commission → City Council): Mover: Commissioner Michele; Second: Commissioner Brazen; Outcome: Passed (6 yes, 1 no, 1 abstain). Yes — Moshely, Azar, Pawlak (council liaison), Hall, Subhashitani, Brazen; No — Newman; Abstain — Chair Foster.

- Motion to table the site-plan application for further study and revisions: Mover: Commissioner Michele; Second: Commissioner Newman; Outcome: Tabled (7 yes, 1 no). Yes — Moshely, Newman, Azar, Pawlak, Subhashitani, Breese/Brazen, Chair Foster; No — Hall.

Why it mattered

The Planning Commission acts as a recommending body on special-land-use approvals; final authority rests with Ferndale City Council. Commissioners framed the vote around the city’s adopted master-plan goals for the Woodward corridor, nonmotorized-transportation investments (bike lanes), and the neighborhood character immediately north of downtown. Many residents argued the project would undermine recent investments in walkability and create new traffic and safety risks for children, cyclists and pedestrians.

What happens next

The Planning Commission’s recommendation and meeting record move to City Council for final action on the special land use. The applicant has said it will pursue additional engineering and operations work with MDOT and city staff and intends to submit supplemental materials; the commission’s site-plan tabling gives the applicant time to revise the plan before any final vote at the city level.

Ending

The commission’s published record shows robust community engagement on the matter; many residents asked councilors to review the Planning Commission materials and community testimony before Council acts. The City Council will receive the Planning Commission recommendation and the applicant’s supplemental materials when scheduling the item for a council public hearing.