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Planning commission approves El Car Wash plan, asks for chemicals fact sheet before council
Summary
Upper Darby Planning Commission recommended approval of an express car wash at 832 North Lansdowne Ave, contingent on addressing staff comments and providing a fact sheet on cleaning chemicals and water-management systems for council and the public.
The Upper Darby Planning Commission recommended approval of a preliminary/final land development plan to convert the former Rite Aid at 832 North Lansdowne Avenue into an express car wash operated by El Car Wash, with conditions that a chemical fact sheet and final plan revisions be provided before the item goes to council.
Matt McHugh, land‑use counsel for the applicant, and Kate Weiss, the civil engineer, said the plan reduces impervious surface by more than 20%, proposes 43 new trees and more than 230 plantings, and will include an oversized stormwater basin and other controls to reduce on‑site runoff. Applicant representative Gabe Schuckman described a construction timeline of about 30 days for demolition (after permits) and seven to eight months for building.
Commissioners and several members of the public asked specifically about detergents and treatment of wash water. Kate Weiss described the site’s water‑management approach: “there’s a reclaim system, reclamation system, that takes the water from the car wash and it brings it to tanks where it can store it and then it can recirculate it through the system. So a majority of the water that is used is reused,” and she added the design includes an oil‑sand separator and monthly pump‑out of reclaimed solids.
Planning staff recommended approval contingent on addressing outstanding comments and on engineering concurrence with the floodplain/fill approach discussed earlier in the day. Joshua Chast, planning and zoning manager, asked the applicant to change a plan note that incorrectly said the system uses user‑recycled water; staff said the plans will be updated to reflect the correct filtration/recycling approach. The commission moved to approve the plan with the condition that the applicant provide the requested fact sheet to council prior to council consideration.
The commission’s recommendation clears the way for the applicant to finalize engineering details, provide the chemicals fact sheet to staff and council, and pursue required permits and construction scheduling.
