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Commission reopens hearing and recommends allowing a car wash in PUD Parcel 3 with stronger buffers
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Summary
After a public hearing featuring staff concerns and applicant mitigation plans, the Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend allowing a Quick Quack car wash in PUD Parcel 3 provided the amendment includes a 15-foot minimum buffer on the east and south sides and double the usual planting density.
The Norwalk Planning and Zoning Commission reopened a previously tabled public hearing and recommended that the City Council consider an amendment to the Farms of Holland PUD to add a car wash as a permitted use in land‑use Parcel 3 — with added buffering and screening conditions.
Staff planner Elliot told the commission Parcel 3 wraps around the Get N Go site, sits adjacent to Elizabeth Holland Park, and historically the PUD permitted car washes in Parcel 5 but not Parcel 3. "Staff recommendations for denial [were made] based on the concerns we outlined about fit, adjacency to the park, etcetera," Elliot said during the presentation.
Applicant Rance Wildman of Platform Real Estate, representing Quick Quack, presented 3‑D images and screening proposals designed to minimize visual impacts. "We wanna be a great neighbor," Wildman said, and outlined plans for green screening, berms and daily cleaning. He said the operator treats and retains wash water in their system and would design stormwater to the municipality's requirements.
Property owner Ryan Jensen urged the commission to consider the site's unique geometry and limited foot traffic, calling it an "island" better suited to a drive‑in use than a walkable restaurant. He said many national retailers preferred Norwalk Central, and the Get N Go parcel is not likely to be acquired, which constrains alternative configurations.
Commissioners asked technical questions about detention and traffic. Luke (staff) said the nearby park ponds were designed as regional detention and the site could pay stormwater district fees to connect to that system; the applicant said civil engineering had not yet been completed but committed to meeting municipal stormwater requirements.
After deliberation, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of the PUD amendment with two conditions: maintain a 15‑foot minimum buffer along the east and south sides and require double the typical planting density in that buffer. The motion was seconded and a roll‑call vote followed. Staff stated the item will advance to city council on May 7 with the commission's recommendation; council would require a supermajority to overturn the commission's recommendation.
The commission emphasized that if council or future permitting requires further traffic or drainage studies, those would be handled as part of subsequent site and civil reviews.
