The Aurora Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 22 approved a conditional use permit (agenda item 8C) and the related site plan (agenda item 8D) for a proposed Bubble Bath automated car wash (to be operated as QT Bubble Bath following Kwik Trip’s acquisition) at Station 60, located on a roughly 1.69‑acre parcel north of E. Colfax Avenue between Norfolk Street and Airport Boulevard. Both motions passed with 7 votes in favor.

Planning staff recommended approval for both the conditional use and the site plan after a multi‑round technical review that focused on architecture, landscaping, vehicle queuing and multimodal access. Staff presented the proposed facility as an approximately 4,302‑square‑foot car‑wash tunnel fronting a private road on the site’s east side; the business plan submitted by the applicant indicated hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., two shifts and three to five employees per shift. Staff also noted bicycle parking (U‑racks) would be provided and that the site fronts a private drive built to city standards.

Applicant representatives described the proposal as part of a larger Station 60 master plan for commercial and residential infill. The applicant team, which included Jessica Glavas (Kwik Trip), civil and traffic engineers from Kimley‑Horn and counsel, emphasized architectural revisions made during review: masonry tower elements, increased glazing and horizontal articulation to improve the Colfax frontage. The applicant said the car wash will employ water‑reclamation systems and presented an industry average water use of 14 to 22 gallons per car.

Aurora Water assistant general manager Sarah Young responded to commissioner questions on water management, saying car washes in Aurora are required to recycle at least 75% of water use under the city’s large water user approach and that laundromats and similar high‑use facilities are required to use high‑efficiency equipment.

Five written comments were submitted after the public notice and five public commenters appeared; the majority of public testimony opposed the project. Nearby operators and industry consultants told the commission the local corridor is saturated with conveyor car washes and expressed concerns about predatory pricing by large chains. Owner Emily Barrotta, who operates Gleam Car Wash in Aurora, said "the local market at Airport And Colfax cannot support another tunnel car wash" and asked the commission to use its discretionary authority to deny the conditional use. Another commenter, car‑wash consultant Elijah Williams, testified that industry practice favors spacing of about two miles between conveyor tunnels and presented examples where new entrants had reduced utilization at older car wash businesses.

Applicant counsel and the team responded in a rebuttal, noting the land‑use criteria the commission must apply are those in the Unified Development Ordinance and that staff had addressed site‑specific adverse impacts through design, landscaping and orientation. The applicant also said the objective distance requirements in city code were met (presented evidence the site is roughly 650 feet from the referenced intersection requirement) and emphasized water reclamation plans.

After discussion, the commission approved the conditional use (motion recorded as meeting code section 146‑5.4.3.8.3 reasons stated in the staff report) and then approved the site plan with a single condition: resolution of outstanding technical issues prior to recordation and building permit issuance. Commissioners and staff reiterated that appeals are possible under the municipal code and that a full transcript and minutes will be preserved during the appeals period.

The approvals allow the applicant to proceed toward final site‑plan recordation and building permits subject to the condition noted; they do not constitute final building permits or occupancy approvals.