Canal Winchester council upholds denial of proposed Greengate Plaza car wash

Canal Winchester City Council on June 15 upheld the Planning and Zoning Commission and city staff by denying an appeal from an applicant seeking a standalone car wash at Greengate Plaza.

Andrew Moore, Planning and Zoning Administrator, told council the applicant had submitted a Final Development Plan for a 1.46-acre parcel in Greengate Plaza (parcel 04203881816) and that staff rejected the plan because the Violet Point Overlay District lists a standalone car wash as a prohibited use. Moore summarized that the Planning and Zoning Commission later affirmed staff's determination.

Mike Galasso, attorney for the applicant, argued the Greengate zoning text incorporates the Village of Canal Winchester zoning code as it existed in 2001 and therefore preserves the uses that were permitted or conditionally permitted at that time. "A car wash was a permitted use in 2001. More specifically, it was a conditionally permitted use," Galasso said, and he pointed council to a memorandum from outside counsel supporting that reading. Galasso urged council to apply the Greengate text's 2001 definitions rather than a later overlay change.

Councilmembers discussed the interplay between the Greengate text and the later Violet Point Overlay District. Councilmember Alec McLaughlin asked whether the overlay supersedes the underlying Greengate provisions; Galasso said the city's own legal guidance frames a hierarchy in which the Greengate text controls when it contains a specific standard, and the overlay applies when Greengate is silent or where a conflict exists.

Councilmember Patrick Shea asked about the applicant's purchase history and prior actions on the property; the record did not clarify the exact acquisition date. Amick clarified that an earlier 2023 hearing referenced a different parcel, and a participant labeled Haire corrected a historical date to 2006 during the exchange.

After a closed-session deliberation, a motion was made by Councilmember Alec McLaughlin, seconded by Councilmember Will Bennett, to affirm the Planning and Zoning Commission's decision and deny the appeal. The motion carried; Council President Laurie Amick stated, "It's a unanimous no on this particular appeal." Councilmember Patrick Shea said, "I must vote no," explaining his reading that the Violet Point Overlay District expressly prohibits a car wash in that area.

The council's decision upholds the staff and commission interpretation that the Violet Point Overlay District's prohibition applies to the subject parcel, denying the Final Development Plan for a standalone car wash at Greengate Plaza. The meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m.