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City council split on Club Car Wash plan; developer seeks amendment to 2020 agreement
Summary
A developer presentation for a subscription-based Club Car Wash drew mixed council reaction over lost retail sales tax, aesthetics and neighborhood noise; council members agreed to consult the absent member before committing to amend the 2020 developer's agreement.
A conceptual proposal to amend a 2020 developer's agreement and allow a subscription-based Club Car Wash on a parcel owned by RR McHenry LLC prompted divided responses from aldermen at the March 16 meeting.
The project's civil engineer and project manager (speaker 12) described Club Car Wash as a subscription-based, fully staffed operation with concrete paving that can process a vehicle about every 30 seconds and estimated construction costs of roughly $5 million to $6 million. He said the owner and developer have marketed the parcel for four to five years for strip retail and restaurants without success and now propose the car wash as a viable use.
"They reached out... they have over 100 locations nationwide... they do believe they can be successful in this location," the presenter said, explaining that the owner supports the proposed change to the developer's agreement. (speaker 12)
Council members raised three main concerns: whether the use would generate comparable sales tax and economic activity to the originally planned retail strip; whether the dryers and vacuums would generate noise affecting adjacent housing; and whether the local market is already saturated with car-wash facilities.
Alderman Baney and Alderman Miller both said they had major reservations. "That corridor is prime real estate; I'm not sure a car wash is the highest and best use," Alderman Miller said, noting about 10 existing car washes in town and nearby development that could be better served by a grocery or other retail. (speaker 7)
Alderman Doherty and other council members urged flexibility, saying the lot has been marketed for years without retail demand and that constructing a use may catalyze further development. Alderman Doherty said the car wash could complement nearby auto-oriented businesses and help activate an otherwise vacant lot. (speaker 15)
Council members also asked for technical details: hours of operation (presenter listed typical hours: roughly 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays with adjusted winter and Sunday hours), submitted noise studies (presenter offered to share studies with planning staff), and landscaping/screening to mitigate dryer noise (presenter described intensive landscaping and sound suppressors to meet typical municipal noise limits).
No formal vote was taken. With the council split and an absent member, the presenter said he would follow up with city staff and the absent alderman before the project proceeds further in the approval process.
