First hearing on allowing car wash with convenience store in Brandon Field draws mixed reactions

At a first hearing July 9, planning staff presented a proposed text amendment to Article 3 to allow a car wash in conjunction with a convenience store (including gas pumps) as a conditional use in the Brandon Field Community Center district.

Staff outlined proposed design limits: hours of operation limited to 7:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m., prohibitions on lighting intended to attract customers (no flashing signs), landscaping and screening standards per Brandon Field design rules, a 10,000‑square‑foot maximum size for a combined convenience/car wash, and no more than eight pump islands (two pumps per island). Staff said the change was intended to be narrow and include safeguards to avoid stand‑alone car‑wash proliferation in the master‑planned district.

Applicant Mark Shelton (representing the owner) explained the intended site and said staff and the applicant worked to tailor language to local conditions. Commissioners and neighbors asked whether the amendment should be applied only to the one parcel proposed for the use or added to the district code broadly. Some commissioners said a district‑wide allowance sets standards to prevent future problems (noise, lighting) while others preferred limiting the change to the single parcel under immediate consideration.

No final vote was taken; the item was set for a final hearing and decision on July 23. Commissioners and staff encouraged applicants and nearby residents to continue dialogue before the final hearing.