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 noise-reduction equipment for the tunnel fan, and submission of a manufacturer color sample to verify the roof will be a navy/ultramarine blue rather than a brighter blue.

Jason Sharon, representing Big Dan's, said the redevelopment would reuse the former bank footprint and maintain a counterclockwise circulation pattern from an entrance off Jackson Street through the site into the Walmart parking lot. He said utilities are available to the site and that the firm’s traffic analysis showed the proposed car wash would not increase peak traffic beyond what the previous bank generated.

Susan Spasworth, planning staff, told the commission that because car washes are not a listed permitted or conditional use in the city's zoning code, the applicant first obtained a special-use permit and then submitted this site plan. “The site plan presented to you meets comp plan, land development code, [and] Riverfront Overlay,” she said, while noting staff used American Planning Association standards to derive parking requirements where the code did not specify them. Staff reported the proposed site contains 25 parking spaces overall and complies with the parking approach staff adopted for similar uses.

Commissioners asked several clarifying questions during discussion. Commissioner Carter asked why the applicant proposed a license-plate reader; Sharon replied it is part of a membership option that links a vehicle to a monthly or fleet account. Commissioner Carter also urged greater emphasis on the riverfront’s “fishing village” design palette; staff and the applicant agreed an additional hardscape or design anchor consistent with the corridor could be added and that the commission could include that in a motion.

On landscaping, staff said the footprint of the new tunnel and some building elements required by the overlay increased the apparent buffer need and produced an overlap with the perimeter buffer. The applicant will provide understory plantings between parking spaces and protect mature oaks that already exist on the site. Staff characterized the waiver request as minimal and recommended approval.

The commission moved to approve the redevelopment, including demolition of the former bank, construction of the tunnel car wash and related utilities, lighting and stormwater work, and the requested Riverfront Overlay waiver, with the staff condition requiring a manufacturer sample for the roof color and the prior special-use permit conditions applied. Commissioner Carter made the motion; the motion was seconded and carried in a recorded roll call vote in favor.

Remaining items noted in the staff report: the car wash must install noise-reduction equipment consistent with the special-use conditions, preserve the recorded access easements and restrictions that allow access through the Walmart property, and obtain separate permits for signage. The commission asked staff to work with the applicant on added nautical-themed hardscape elements to better match the riverfront corridor design standards.

Construction, building permits and final colors and signage will be reviewed administratively as part of permit approval; the commission did not place additional conditions on the special-use expiration date, noting the applicant had not reached the expiration timeline tied to the earlier special-use permit.