Traverse City planning commission approves Tommy's Express car wash at East Front Street with conditions

The Traverse City Planning Commission on April 21 approved a site-plan review for a proposed Tommy's Express automatic car wash at 1054 and 1060 East Front Street, adopting staff findings of fact and several conditions aimed at addressing traffic, noise and alley impacts.

Leslie, a Planning Department representative, told commissioners the project had been routed to the commission because projected trips exceed the 500-trip administrative threshold and because the city's traffic consultant recommended eliminating the curb cut on Garfield to reduce turning conflicts. Laurie of Wade Trim, the city's traffic consultant, summarized the study's inputs and findings, saying the team modeled 88 entering trips in the weekend peak hour and 68 during the weekday afternoon peak and that crash-history review between 2021 and 2025 showed 122 crashes in the area, including one pedestrian and four bicyclist crashes. "There's a lot of different conflicts, a lot of different movements with the driveway across," Laurie said, and the model showed northbound queuing could back up past the driveway during peak hours.

Brett Doctor, Tommy's vice president of real estate, said the company has worked with staff, has operational experience from other West Michigan locations and agreed to staff's recommended changes. "We are agreeable to that," Doctor said, referring to closing the Garfield entrance. He also described on-site water-reclamation and treatment systems and said franchises typically operate within a maximum window of roughly 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with many local sites operating about 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Neighbors who live immediately behind the parcel told the commission they remained concerned about the late posting of the traffic study, increased alley traffic and long-term alley maintenance obligations, potential noise from added vacuum stalls, and whether residues from wash chemicals were adequately controlled. "We have some pretty serious concerns about this proposal," said Steve Brown, a nearby property owner.

After discussion, Commissioner Brian McGillivary moved to adopt the staff report and findings of fact and approve site-plan review application 26SPR-01 (TXC Great Lakes Fund LP d/b/a Tommy's Express) to construct an automatic enclosed car wash with vacuum stations and an attendant mat-washing building at 1054 and 1060 E. Front Street, with conditions that: combine the two parcels; prohibit the proposed Garfield curb cut (ingress/egress to be provided through the alley and E. Front Street with MDOT-required right-in/right-out where applicable); require a 5–6 foot masonry screening wall along the alley with fast-growing trees planted to mitigate sound and be approved by the City's zoning administrator; and prohibit adding vacuum stations beyond those shown in the original site plan. Chair Yellen seconded the motion.

In roll call, the commission recorded the following votes: Detturi — yes; Hershey — yes; McGillivary — yes; O'Brien — yes; Treadwell — yes; Swanson — yes; Reardon — yes; Holtri — yes; Anderson — no. The motion passed.

The Planning Department and the City's zoning administrator will complete final technical review and the zoning administrator will issue the land-use permit with administrative oversight of planting species and other details. Appeals or further action would follow the city's established administrative and permitting procedures.

Authorities and legal references mentioned during the discussion included the city's zoning/design standards (identified in the transcript as section 13.44.09/13.44.49) and the city's wastewater discharge chapter (identified in the transcript as chapter 10.43), which staff said is used to monitor sanitary sewer discharges to protect the treatment plant.

The commission moved on to other agenda items after taking the site-plan vote; the planning director and zoning administrator will carry out the permit and administrative follow-up.