Council conditionally approves Spotless Car Wash at former Rite Aid site

Phoenixville Borough Council on March 11 conditionally approved a preliminary/final subdivision and land development plan to convert the vacant Rite Aid building at 200 Kimberton Road into a full-service Spotless Car Wash. The resolution, adopted 6-0, imposes conditions and grants two waivers the applicant requested, the borough planner said.

The planning submission calls for a facility with one wet tunnel, two dry tunnels, stacking for 17 vehicles, and 14 parking spaces. Bernadette Kearney, attorney for the applicant, told council the project reuses the existing building shell instead of demolishing it. Petra Kelly, the site engineer from BL Companies, said the wash’s internal grades and collection systems will route wash water to on-site treatment rather than to the storm system.

"Anything that is involved with the car wash operations... is all contained within the car wash itself," Petra Kelly said, describing reclaimed tanks, settlement tanks and an oil-water separator that will route treated flows to the sanitary sewer. She added the facility will use reclaimed water and estimated roughly 60% recycled water use in operations.

The planning commission had conditionally recommended approval on Feb. 13, noting two requested waivers: (1) to allow an existing 63-foot-wide driveway at the street line if PennDOT does not approve a proposed median, and (2) to allow a five-foot sidewalk in locations the ordinance would otherwise require a different configuration. Council’s resolution incorporates the waivers and specific conditions set out by borough staff and the borough engineer.

Councilors and staff also focused on queuing and traffic safety. Kelly said the applicant studied comparable facilities and was “confident that there’s adequate stacking on-site to prevent” queueing onto Nut Road, and that the applicant will pursue PennDOT approval for a swing gate at the Nut Road entrance as a contingency to close the entrance if on-site queueing ever threatened the roadway.

The applicant told council the facility’s normal hours would be limited by the special-exception conditions to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., that staffing was expected to be about 14 employees, and that a pay station would be the first stop on entry. The project also includes landscaping and screening measures along Kimberton and Nut roads, and the developer agreed to provide a spill-prevention and employee-training plan for hazardous materials storage and cleanup.

Council member motioned to adopt the resolution and the motion passed 6-0. The councilor making the motion asked that remaining technical conditions be incorporated into final approvals and permits.

The applicant said it hopes to begin construction this year, subject to remaining permitting steps and PennDOT reviews.

Ending: The council’s conditional approval advances the project to permitting and final engineering. Borough staff will manage zoning and PennDOT coordination, and the resolution requires the developer to meet the listed environmental, circulation and screening conditions before issuance of final approvals.