Troy planning commission approves two‑story El Car Wash with nonprofit offices after traffic, design debate

The City of Troy Planning Commission voted 6–3 April 14 to grant special‑use and preliminary site plan approval for SUJPLN 2024‑0007, a two‑story El Car Wash with second‑floor office space intended for the nonprofit Rainbow Connection at 2955–2995 E. Long Lake.

The application, brought back to the commission after a circuit court remand, proposes an automated wash tunnel at the Long Lake frontage, an enclosed vacuum and employee parking area along Dequindre, and a second‑floor office for Rainbow Connection. Planning staff and the applicant emphasized revisions from a prior submission: the vacuums are now enclosed, the attendant booth has been incorporated into the main building, and a pedestrian plaza and landscaping have been added.

Why it mattered: neighbors who attended the hearing and submitted comments said the intersection of Long Lake and Dequindre already experiences frequent crashes and heavy, high‑speed traffic, raising safety concerns if a high‑turnover car wash were approved. Supporters countered that Rainbow Connection would receive free office space in perpetuity, enabling the charity to expand services for families of children with life‑threatening illnesses.

What staff and the applicant said: Brent Carlisle, planning consultant with Carlisle Workman Associates, summarized the zoning and design review standards and noted the applicant seeks deviations from a form‑district build‑to line and from transparency requirements on Long Lake and Dequindre. Carlisle said the project meets landscape and lighting requirements and highlighted the site’s revised massing and enclosed vacuum area. Applicant Gabe Shuckman said the design responds to prior feedback and that the second‑floor office would be provided to Rainbow Connection at no cost under a lease the applicant described as allowing the nonprofit to occupy the space “in perpetuity.”

Quote: “This partnership allows Rainbow Connection to expand and meet more families,” Rainbow Connection executive director Ingrid Todd said. “We’ve granted more than 4,500 wishes across Michigan since 1985, and we need space.”

Traffic, circulation and noise: multiple commissioners and residents pressed the applicant on stacking capacity, vehicular circulation in and out of the enclosed vacuum area, and the absence of an on‑site deceleration lane on Long Lake. The applicant said the site provides 21 stacking spaces into the tunnel, estimated processing capacity at about 110–120 cars per hour for the tunnel, and offered operational plans and on‑site staff to manage peak queues. The team reported on‑site decibel measurements showing levels below 65 dB at the property line and roughly 65–70 dB inside the vacuum area, and offered to install quieter blowers to mitigate noise.

Quote: “The lack of pedestrian focus and the amount of internal circulation that crosses paths with pedestrians gave me concern,” Commissioner Fox said in explaining his opposition. “A special use should provide more community value than other permitted uses.”

Public testimony: residents living in nearby Spring Meadows and other neighborhoods described personal observations of unsafe driving and cited crash data presented at the hearing: one resident reported 85 crashes at Dequindre and Long Lake from 2023–2025. Dozens of supporters—including several parents who use Rainbow Connection services—urged approval, saying the nonprofit’s work outweighs the drawbacks and praising the applicant’s design improvements.

Conditions of approval: the commission’s approval included specific conditions the applicant must satisfy before final site plan sign‑off: eliminate four outdoor vacuum stalls (two on the west and two on the east of the outdoor vacuum strip) and convert them to parking; add a more prominent, transparent Long Lake entrance for Rainbow Connection (including additional glazing or canopy work to meet the city’s transparency expectations on Long Lake); pursue a deceleration lane for westbound Long Lake traffic if approved by the Road Commission of Oakland County; and coordinate stormwater, landscaping, and minor parking and signage details with city staff.

Vote and next steps: the motion to approve carried 6–3. Commissioners voting yes were Mr. Lambert, Ms. Malalahalli, Mr. Teagle, Mr. Beickner, Mr. Hudson, and Mr. Krantz. Commissioners voting no were Ms. Perakis, Mr. Faison, and Mr. Fox. Staff and the applicant said the project will return for final administrative approvals and that the commission’s conditions will be addressed in the final plan and permit review.

Why it matters locally: the vote illustrates a recurring tension in Troy’s planning work—how to balance the master plan’s emerging pedestrian‑oriented neighborhood node vision with existing zoning that permits certain auto‑oriented uses by special approval. The commission and staff noted City Council is reviewing an ordinance rewrite that could narrow auto‑oriented uses in neighborhood nodes, but that change had not been adopted when the application was filed and considered.

The commission took up unrelated planning business after the vote and adjourned. The applicant and staff indicated they will work through the conditions with city review and, where needed, submit required materials to the Road Commission of Oakland County for the deceleration lane approval.