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Committee OKs referral for special permit for two‑bay car wash at 366 Hathaway Road
Summary
A New Bedford committee voted to grant a special‑permit application and refer it to the full City Council for a two‑bay automatic car wash at 366 Hathaway Road after a public hearing where the applicant’s representative and councilors discussed traffic, hours and site circulation.
A New Bedford City Council committee voted June 17 to grant and refer to the full council an application by Eric Maderas, doing business as Hathaway Road Holdings LLC, for a special permit to operate a two‑bay motor vehicle light service (automatic car wash) at 366 Hathaway Road.
The proposal, presented by Steve Giosa of Scitech Engineering as Maderas’ representative, calls for construction of a new two‑bay automatic car wash, vacuum stations and landscaping on the former Wicks and Licks/gas station site at the Route 140/Hathaway Road interchange. Giosa said the building would be a framed structure with “extensive landscaping” and that one of the existing curb cuts would be closed to improve circulation.
The committee’s nut graf: the project has planning board approval and committee members focused on traffic safety and site circulation because the parcel sits adjacent to a busy on/off ramp. The committee granted the permit and referred the application to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation.
Giosa said Maderas is a local operator who already runs a car wash on Route 6 in Dartmouth. He estimated the proposed facility could see “50 to 150 vehicles a day” on a typical day, and said the business would staff “typically just one employee on‑site at any given time, at most two.” He also said the applicant anticipates the car wash to operate 24 hours. Councilors asked about ingress/egress and sight lines at the nearby highway on‑ and off‑ramps; Giosa said topography limited alternative access locations and the team chose the current location to provide a 90‑degree intersection and improved sight lines.
Councilor Sean Oliver led committee questioning about the intersection and traffic estimates; Councilor Joseph Lopes asked whether the business would offer unlimited monthly passes — Giosa replied the owner “does not operate in that fashion.” A city commissioner who answered technical questions about snow‑storage and traffic described the intersection as “one of the busiest in the city” and signed off on the applicant’s snow disposal area.
Public comment: no members of the public spoke in favor or opposition during the hearing.
Actions and next steps: The committee opened and closed the public hearing and voted to grant the special permit application and refer it to the full City Council for final action. The application packet notes the Planning Board granted approval on April 9, 2025, and the application was advertised June 3 and June 10, 2025. The committee’s referral places the matter on the full council calendar for later consideration.
The applicant will appear before the full City Council for final action; the committee recorded a favorable referral on June 17.
