At the Jan. 6 Planning and Zoning work session, staff presented Conditional Use Permit application 2024-410-CUP for a semi-automatic car wash at 7520 North MacArthur Boulevard and recommended approval.

Staff described the site context: a Starbucks now occupies part of the parcel’s frontage, public storage wraps around part of the site, and Kroger sits across the street. Staff said they used a half-mile buffer to map other car washes in the area and that the proposed facility would provide about 21 vacuum stalls (including one ADA stall) and three employee parking spaces. The proposal does not request variances to building or area requirements; the review is for the use itself.

Staff reviewed the conditional-use permit standards, citing the ordinance provision under which Council may require conditions "to ensure consistency with the comprehensive plan and compatibility with surrounding uses" and listed example conditions such as limits on building size, landscaping, loading and parking and signage. The presenting staff member said the recommended permit would have an indefinite term absent council action to impose a time limit; they noted Council retains the authority to revoke a CUP if findings warrant it.

Commissioners raised multiple concerns in the discussion: the proliferation of car washes in the corridor, potential traffic impacts on North MacArthur (described by one commissioner as "horrendous in general"), and whether a permanent CUP without a time limit is appropriate given the investment required for the use. Staff explained that the indefinite time frame is the default for CUPs where a permanent capital investment is expected and that council retains revocation authority if the use is not maintained or causes problems.

One commissioner asked whether a CUP transfers to a new owner; staff replied that the CUP is tied to the approved site plan and the use can continue under a new owner so long as the site remains unchanged. Another commissioner said the use did not feel compatible with their neighborhood and said they were "not sure I'm in favor of it." Staff noted one public comment in support and none in opposition on the record for the most recent notification.

No formal vote was taken at the work session. Staff indicated the item would proceed through the public-notice and hearing process and that council could attach conditions or a time limit when the case reaches them.