Planning commission approves Valvoline site plan with reduced stacking and 18 conditions

Beavercreek, Ohio — The Beavercreek Planning Commission voted 4-0 to recommend approval of PUD 25-2, a specific site plan for a 1,462-square-foot Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 3913 Colonel Glen Highway, subject to 18 conditions.

The project, proposed on a 0.65-acre parcel (Greene County Property Tax Atlas: book 1, page 9, parcel 45), calls for a two-bay oil-change facility and removal of existing small buildings and a drive-through convenience store. Jonathan Woker, planner for McBryde Del Claring, told the commission, “we have no objections to the conditions that are outlined in the staff report.”

The nut of the commission’s discussion was vehicle stacking for the drive-through. City planner Colin Carville said the zoning code’s typical stacking calculation would require 17 spaces for a typical 15-minute oil change, but Valvoline submitted local wait-time analysis and requested a reduction to six stacking spaces. Carville summarized staff’s view: staff reviewed Valvoline’s stacking analysis and said they were “comfortable with the reduction.”

Members questioned whether traffic patterns on Colonel Glenn — and the likelihood that some customers would approach from New Germany Drive — might overload the shorter stacking. Commissioners and staff discussed operational mitigations the applicant described, including Valvoline employees directing cars and asking customers to return later if waits exceed the site’s capacity.

The site plan includes enhanced building materials and landscaping. Carville noted added brickwork, a stepped roofline and spandrel glass on the east elevation; staff also recommended a 32-square-foot ground sign with a maximum height of 5 feet and wall signage area keyed to building frontage on Colonel Glenn. The applicant added a small pavement “bump out” in the parking layout to improve maneuvering.

Action and next steps: a motion to approve PUD 25-2, specific site plan number 1 for Valvoline, passed in a 4-0 roll call (Mister Francis: yes; Mister Jones: yes; Mister Fountain: yes; Mister Self: yes). Carville said the commission’s recommendation means the project still requires one more public hearing and final action by City Council.

Clarifying details recorded in the staff report and discussed at the hearing include the parcel description, the building size (1,462 square feet), site acreage (0.65), the originally applicable stacking requirement (17) and the approved reduced stacking (6), the applicant’s two-service-bay layout, and the staff-presented limit on ground sign area (32 square feet) and maximum height (5 feet).

The commission’s approval is a recommendation to City Council; Council will hold its own public hearing before taking final action. The record includes the staff report, the applicant’s stacking analysis, and aerial/site plans filed with the commission.