Planning board approves conditional use and variance for automated car wash at 525 West Pembroke Road

The City of Hallandale Beach Planning & Zoning Board on the evening approved a conditional use permit (CU2503650) and a variance (VA2503651) to allow an automated car wash and related vacuum spaces at 525 West Pembroke Road.

The applications permit a 3,867–3,882-square-foot automated car wash on a 0.92-acre site in the Pembroke Road subdistrict. Staff said the site requires a conditional use because the Pembroke Road text amendment in January 2024 moved drive-through uses to conditional status. Staff also recommended a variance from the code separation requirement that normally requires 1,500 feet between auto-related uses because an existing fuel station and a tire shop lie within that distance.

Staff presentation: Christy Dominguez, planning and zoning manager, summarized the site plan and conditions. She said the project provides more than the minimum landscape area (23% provided vs. 10% required), proposes 40 trees where 27 are required, includes a required 8-foot screening wall on the south property line adjacent to residential uses, and will dedicate two feet of right-of-way to Pembroke Road. Dominguez noted staff inadvertently omitted a written response to one criterion during the presentation but stated the project meets setbacks, buffering and other clearance criteria and recommended approval with conditions including a unity of title covenant and an operating hour limit.

Applicant presentation and evidence: Rachel Stryfeld, land-use attorney for the applicant, said the car wash is an automated membership-oriented operation (no fuel or convenience store), that the traffic study (prepared by KBP Consulting) showed capacity for a 22-car queue while observed queues at comparable local sites topped out at 12 cars, and that FDOT would not permit curb cuts on Pembroke Road so all public access is planned from NW Sixth Avenue. The applicant proffered an opening hour of 8 a.m.; the board made that part of the approved conditions. The applicant also addressed chemical runoff and water reclamation: Stryfeld said reclaimed wash water would be filtered and routed into on-site drainage as shown in the civil engineering plans.

Public comment and city consultant: One nearby resident, Arman Jevorkian (600 NW 10th St.), objected, citing existing traffic, proximity to residential areas, concerns about children and the elderly in evenings and mornings, and a tire shop and mechanical business nearby. Michael Miller, consultant to the city on traffic, said Broward County and FDOT opposed curb cuts on Pembroke Road given the constrained corridor; he estimated that, based on the project queue and design, impacts to the corridor will be minimal and that the proposed two-point access configuration should allow reasonable circulation.

Board action: The board first approved the variance VA2503651 (motion and second recorded on the public record) and then approved the conditional use CU2503650 with the applicant's proffered operating hours of 8 a.m.–10 p.m., the required right-of-way dedication, a unity-of-title covenant and the other staff-recommended conditions. The record shows each motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: The approval allows an automated car wash in a portion of the Pembroke Road subdistrict where drive-through uses now require conditional review after the 2024 text amendment. Conditions address noise, buffering, hours and circulation; the board required the applicant to continue working with neighbors on remaining concerns.

What’s next: The applicant will proceed with civil and building permits, execute the unity-of-title covenant, and must comply with the conditions recorded in the approval.