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Commission backs supervisors' Nineteenth Avenue ordinance to allow car washes at existing service stations with lot‑merger restriction
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended an ordinance that would allow existing gasoline service stations on Nineteenth Avenue to add mechanical car washes through conditional‑use authorization. The commission accepted staff and supervisors' limits on noise, water reclamation and design and added an amendment to prohibit lot mergers; the recommendation passed unanimously.
Planning Department staff presented an ordinance sponsored by Supervisors Olague and Carmen Chu to amend the Planning Code so that existing automobile service stations on Nineteenth Avenue could apply to add mechanical car washes under specific conditions. Staff emphasized safeguards: washing and drying must occur within an enclosed portion of the building, new car washes must comply with the city's noise ordinance, water reclamation systems must meet San Francisco PUC criteria, and the department recommended a conditional‑use process rather than automatic rights. The ordinance initially included a minimum lot size threshold (12,000 sq ft) and a traffic‑impact consideration.
Supervisors' offices (Dominica Henderson for Supervisor Olague and Katie Tang for Supervisor Chu) told the commission the goal was to create a neighborhood notification and conditional‑use process for existing stations (not to permit new gas stations). Commissioners discussed the historical development of Nineteenth Avenue (a state highway corridor through Sunset/Parkside), noise standards (commissioners noted normal conversation is about 60–65 dB and city traffic may reach 85 dB), and water recycling and recycling ordinance compliance.
Several commissioners supported the original legislation as a narrowly tailored auto‑service measure. Commissioners also expressed concern that allowing new car washes should not be enabled by aggregating lots; they voted to recommend the ordinance to the Board of Supervisors with an amendment preventing lot mergers for the purpose of meeting size thresholds. The motion to recommend the ordinance with that amendment passed unanimously.
What happens next: The Planning Commission—s recommendation (with the lot‑merger amendment and the expectation that conditional‑use review will address noise, traffic and water‑reclamation details) will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.
Sources: Staff presentation (Amory Rogers), statements from Supervisor Olague's office (Dominica Henderson) and Supervisor Carmen Chu's representative (Katie Tang), commissioners' deliberations and recorded unanimous recommendation vote.
