Council approves Tommy’s Car Wash preliminary development plan for Morgan Park South

Southern Pines — The Town Council voted July 22 to approve a preliminary development plan for a Tommy’s express car wash on Lot 3 of Morgan Park South Phase 5.

Planning staff explained the proposal: a roughly 5,500‑square‑foot automated tunnel car wash, three stacking lanes with 29 stacking spaces, 15 vacuum stalls and eight standard parking spaces. Staff counted vacuum stalls as parking under the UDO and found the total parking met the Conceptual Development Plan’s range. Two deviations were requested — an orientation/access deviation to allow primary access from the Old Morganton Road extension (rather than West Morganton Road) because of a corridor buffer, and a reduced frontage zone (from 16 feet to 12 feet) with a voluntary landscape planting included to meet the frontage intent.

Staff recommended five conditions including (1) preservation of the 40‑ft highway corridor buffer, (2) architecture approved administratively to ensure compatibility with local character, (3) confirmation of mechanical wastewater treatment/recirculation systems prior to final site plan approval, (4) engineering review of stormwater and retaining walls required by site grades, and (5) other technical clarifications in the staff report. Applicant representatives confirmed agreement with the conditions.

Council adopted findings of fact and approved the PDP with the five staff conditions by voice vote.

Why it matters: The PDP authorizes land‑use entitlements for a commercial service use in a new phase of Morgan Park South; staff and council negotiated two minor deviations in orientation and frontage while preserving a large buffer along West Morganton Road and requiring administrative architectural review to match town standards.