Hoschton council holds public hearing on rezoning Kroger outparcels for car wash and oil‑change shop

The Hoschton City Council opened a public hearing on an application by S E K, Hoschton LLC seeking to rezone two Kroger outparcels from C‑2 (General Commercial, highway‑oriented) to C‑3 (Commercial motor vehicle service and repair) to allow a car wash on Lot 11 and an auto‑service/Valvoline outlet on Lot 12.

City planner Hugh Blackstock said, “This rezoning request is for 2 lots in the Kroger development. It is to change the zoning of the lots from C 2 to C 3. I did recommend approval with possible conditions. Among the conditions are limits on overnight parking and outdoor storage, specifications on screening the major activities from the adjacent townhomes and Highway 53, that the dryers on the car wash will be limited to 65 decibels at the property line, and the hours of operation shall be limited to from 7AM to 9PM.”

The rezoning covers Lot 11 (about 1.32 acres) and Lot 12 (about 1.06 acres) within the Towne Center Marketplace preliminary plat (preliminary plat approved 04/23/2024), and includes legal parcel identifiers described at the hearing. The planner opened the public hearing; no final council decision or vote on the rezoning appears in the provided transcript excerpt.

Applicants and development representatives said the proposed car wash is a relocation, not a new facility. A business owner who identified himself as Aspertel said, “this is not a new car wash,” and that the operation approved for Creekside is being moved to the Kroger site. Tommy Saul, representing S E K, told the council the developer had tried to place C‑3 uses away from Highway 53 and described complementary uses planned nearby, including a proposed daycare on Lot 10 and restaurants on the frontage parcels.

Ace Acevedo, vice chair of the City Planning and Zoning Commission, spoke in support on behalf of the four commission members who voted in favor. He said the commission spent “several hours with the developer and the owner” and raised environmental and hazardous‑waste disposal concerns with the developer. Acevedo also reported field measurements at a comparable car wash in Braselton and said, “we are at 85 to 89 decibels at the vacuum or at the end where you get the water washed off your car,” adding that noise levels drop with distance.

Resident Jeff Nesbitt spoke in favor of the development as part of expected local growth, saying the additional services would be convenient for residents. Several other attendees also rose in support during the hearing; three individuals signaled intent to speak in opposition but the provided transcript ends before extended opposing remarks or a council action.

Discussion in the hearing focused on proposed conditions intended to reduce impacts on adjacent townhomes and Highway 53: limits on overnight parking and outdoor storage, screening requirements, a 65‑decibel limit for car‑wash dryers at the property line, and hours of operation from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The planning commission reported support with recommended conditions; the hearing transcript does not record a final council vote or ordinance adoption.

Next steps were not recorded in the provided excerpt. The public hearing was opened and public comment taken; any subsequent council deliberation or formal vote on the rezoning is not included in the supplied transcript.