Council clears Johnny’s Express car wash under court consent judgment; residents raise nearby saturation concerns

The Livonia City Council moved forward with approval, per a consent judgment, for a Johnny’s Express Car Wash at 30207 Plymouth Road, an approximately 5,700‑square‑foot facility with three service lanes sited on a roughly one‑acre parcel near Middlebelt and Millburn.

Planning staff explained the approval mechanism is the product of a prior lawsuit and a consent judgment. Mark Tormina of the planning department said the consent judgment settled the dispute that followed a previously denied project and directed that the planning department review site plans for zoning compliance and bring the administrative decision to council for formal concurrence.

Joe Delmont of Stonefield Engineering Design, representing the petitioners, introduced project team members and described the site work. He said the car wash occupies two parcels that together provide about 62 feet of Plymouth Road frontage and internal circulation connecting to adjacent drive aisles. The plan calls for a 5,700‑square‑foot building, three service lanes and vacuum bays on the east side of the lot, with landscaping and lighting reviewed by planning staff.

Council discussion recapped the litigation history. Several council members and the city attorney explained that the council’s discretion is limited by the consent judgment’s terms and that the planning department had completed its administrative checklist. Councilman Donovan said the council did not have broad authority to alter the administrative approvals without reopening the court process.

Residents and a nearby neighbor raised concerns about market saturation of car wash businesses along the Plymouth Road corridor. Deb Christianson, who identified herself as a Livonia resident and attorney, told the council she lives in the neighborhood and listed several existing car wash locations nearby, saying she was “a really unhappy resident on the South Side.”

Petitioners said they plan to operate the site as a full‑service automated wash, not as a terminal for hazardous materials, and that vehicles would not be used for overnight stays. The operator told council they own existing car wash operations in the region and consider the location a good fit for their business model.

Council offered an approving motion for the item on the regular agenda; staff requested that petitioners attend the June 2 regular meeting to answer any additional questions and to facilitate the formal vote. The planning department noted that certain outstanding items — such as final lighting details — would be finalized administratively before construction permits are issued.