Planning commission recommends mayor and council approve car wash at 1009 Fields Road

The Gaithersburg Planning Commission recommended approval Wednesday of schematic development plan SDP-9896-2024 for a new 5,106-square-foot car wash at 1009 Fields Road, sending the proposal to the mayor and city council with two conditions.

The recommendation, made after staff presented the application and the applicant’s responses to a prior joint public hearing, was unanimous. Sam Ige, planning staff, said the plan ‘‘meets and fulfills the purposes, objectives and minimum standards and requirements of the MXD zone.’’

Why it matters: The site is inside the Rio Washingtonian sketch-plan area and staff said the proposed car wash qualifies as a commercial use compatible with the 1997 master plan’s allowance for mixed-use commercial development, including ‘‘highway convenience services.’’ Commissioners spent most of the discussion on site layout, pedestrian connections, traffic circulation and a future gateway element for the site that could signal entry to Gaithersburg along the arterial.

Details of the proposal and review: The plan calls for a 5,106-square-foot car wash building up to 28 feet tall, with 22 vacuum stalls, six employee parking spaces, a tunnel with capacity for five vehicles and on-site car stacking shown for 32 vehicles in a queue. Staff noted the plan provides 42% green area, exceeding the 25% requirement, and retained existing landscaping along the lot edges.

The record shows one piece of written public correspondence received while the record was open; no members of the public testified at the joint public hearing on March 17, 2025. Sam Ige told commissioners staff initially questioned whether the car wash would create an automotive-only corridor with the adjacent gas station, but after additional permit reviews and site visits concluded the property would retain a mix of uses because a laundromat and a restaurant would remain on the adjacent parcel.

Traffic and pedestrian issues: Commissioners asked about vehicle stacking, left-turn access from Fields Road and a possible right-turn access from the off-ramp. The applicant declined suggested changes, saying closing the left turn would be economically unviable for tenants and that a new right-turn off the ramp would require major redevelopment of the adjacent parcel. Staff also corrected a typographical error in the staff report: ‘‘site distance is adequate,’’ not inadequate, Sam Ige said. The existing Fields Road sidewalk at the site is about 3.5 feet wide and will be widened to 10 feet near the shared drive aisle.

Conditions and next steps: Staff recommended approval with two conditions: utility-holder approval of the preliminary utility plan and submission of revised site plans to address minor staff comments before certification. Commissioner Danny moved the recommendation; Commissioner Carol Rigg seconded. The commission recorded a unanimous aye and forwarded the recommendation to the mayor and city council. Final site-plan approval, including elevations, signage and landscaping, will return to the city for later review and public comment.

Commissioners also discussed a gateway or branding element at the corner parcel and asked staff and the applicant to consider future options — such as signage, public art or coordinated branding with Rio Washingtonian — to make the site a clearer city gateway.