Planning commission approves Big Dan's car wash site plan, grants small riverfront landscaping waiver

The Sebastian Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 7 approved a site plan and a waiver to portions of the Riverfront Overlay District for a proposed Big Dan's tunnel car wash at 1979 U.S. Highway 1, allowing a 3,582-square-foot building and related site improvements while preserving mature trees and imposing conditions on noise control and roof color.

The project, presented by Jason Sharon of Pennoni Associates on behalf of Big Dan's, redevelops an almost 1.25-acre parcel south of the Walmart and adjacent to the Murphy gas station that has been vacant since a bank closed more than a decade ago. Staff recommended approval of a limited waiver to foundation planting requirements because existing perimeter landscaping and mature oaks on the site overlap with overlay requirements.

Commissioners were told the car wash use already received a special-use permit from the city in early 2024, with three conditions tied to that prior approval. Planning staff recommended approval of the current site plan and the waiver, subject to preserving the on-site oak trees, installing industry-standard…