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Developer proposes car wash at 832 N. Lansdale with expanded landscaping and water-recycling system
Summary
An applicant presented plans to replace a vacant Rite Aid with a 3,777 sq ft single-tunnel LC Car Wash at 832 N. Lansdale Avenue; the proposal reduces impervious cover, adds 43 trees and 162 shrubs, and relies on on-site water reclamation and oil/sand interceptors. Residents raised questions about chemicals, stream proximity and long-term maintenance.
An applicant seeking redevelopment at 832 North Lansdale Avenue told the Upper Darby Shade Tree Commission the project would demolish the former Rite Aid and build an approximately 3,777-square-foot single-tunnel LC Car Wash with 18 vacuum booms.
Leonard Alieri, attorney for the applicant, said the proposal reduces impervious coverage on the 0.92-acre lot from about 34,932 square feet (roughly 86.9% coverage) to about 27,912 square feet (about 69.4% coverage) and includes stormwater upgrades to meet current standards. Alieri said the operator uses a reclaim-and-recycle system that typically consumes about 20 gallons of fresh water per vehicle and that the design includes roughly 2,000-gallon holding tanks and on-site filtration; when water is removed from the site it will be hauled for off-site discharge through a treatment facility, not directly to storm sewers.
Mariah Diaz, project manager at Dynamic Engineering, walked commissioners through the landscape plan, saying the design preserves three existing street trees on North Lansdale, supplements the frontage with additional street trees, places shade trees in parking areas and adds evergreen screening and shrubs to block headlight spill. Diaz said most plant selections are North American native species, noninvasive and deer-tolerant and that the plan is designed to meet applicable zoning landscaping and screening requirements without variances.
Public commenters applauded the inclusion of more trees but pressed the applicant for technical details. Resident Steve Lockard asked for the exact list of detergents and chemicals to confirm there would be no impact to a nearby underground stream; Alieri said the soaps are biodegradable and that sanitary discharge flows through oil/sand interceptors to the public sanitary sewer and then to a wastewater treatment plant. Alieri said detailed materials and chemical sheets will be provided as part of the zoning and land-development hearings. Dolores Lombardi, a nearby resident, asked whether plantings would be guaranteed; the applicant said the landowner will maintain landscaping and that the planting plan calls for 43 trees and 162 shrubs.
The commission recorded a motion that it would supply a written response on the landscape plan by July 30; the motion was seconded and entered into the record. No formal zoning or land-development approvals were decided by the Shade Tree Commission at the meeting — the application will proceed to township planning and the zoning/land-development hearings where additional technical materials and conditions will be reviewed.
What’s next: The applicant said it will present required technical sheets and exhibits at upcoming planning and zoning hearings. The Shade Tree Commission committed to deliver a written response on the landscaping by July 30. Quotes in this article come from Leonard Alieri and Mariah Diaz during the June Shade Tree Commission meeting.
