In June 2023 we let you know that the owners of The Lube Center on Fields Rd. in Gaithersburg were looking to open a car wash in the space that was home to Ziki Japanese Steakhouse until 2020. A little over a year later, WLR Automotive Group has requested schematic development plan approval for an approximately 5,106 square-foot car wash facility.
WLR proposed the development of an Auto Spa Express car wash on the Property. Per the applicant, “the property has been vacant for four years and the new use, which will include a modern design and generous landscaping, will provide activity and vibrancy and a needed boost to this vacant, languishing corner Property.”
The existing car wash located on the adjacent 10005 Fields Road site will be discontinued and effectively relocated to the Property, thus resulting in no overall increase in the number of car washes in the area. The proposed development on the Property will include the following:
- 5,106 square foot tunnel shaped structure to accommodate the car wash
- 23 vacuum spaces, including one ADA vacuum space
- 9 parking spaces
- 44 percent green area
Per the plan, “the proposed car wash tunnel structure will be 5,106 square feet and located in the center of the property. The structure will be of modern design constructed primarily with glass and steel and it is intentionally designed to be visually interesting. To this end, the vacuum stalls that are situated to the west and south of the car wash structure resemble modern sculptures.
Recognizing the importance of first impressions and the aesthetic of an establishment, the Applicant, which has 29 operating facilities throughout the mid-Atlantic region (Maryland, West Virginia and Southern Pennsylvania), pays special attention to the landscaping at its facilities. As a result, the overall appearance of the Property is important to the Applicant and to this end, the landscaping on the Property is a priority. The overall green area of 44 percent will greatly exceed the 25 percent requirement. The Project proposes 12 canopy trees to satisfy the Property’s afforestation requirement. No reforestation is required since no forest is being removed. Nine of the afforestation trees are also counted toward parking lot trees required within areas of parking lot landscaping. The Project will retain four existing street trees along Field’s Road, and provide three on-site trees in-lieu of street trees, due to existing utility conflicts along the right-of-way.
In addition, adjacent to the western tip of the peninsula shaped Property is just under 3,000 square feet that is within the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (“MC-DOT”) right-of-way. In connection with the processing of the subject application, the Applicant will explore with MC-DOT the ability to landscape (or otherwise improve) this area in order to upgrade the overall appearance of the Property. This area is particularly important given that its orientation serves as a gateway.
The anticipated typical operating hours for the use are as follows: Monday through Saturday 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. and Sunday 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. There will be approximately 20 total employees associated with the use, with approximately five employees on the Property during the peak shift.
Car wash customers will enter the Property from Fields Road and circle around the building in a counter-clockwise direction, where three approach lanes will lead to the payment kiosk on the north side of the building. Two lanes are for the “unlimited club” customers (no payment required; vehicles proceed based on license plate recognition) and the third lane provides a cashier for those vehicles who are not unlimited club members. Vehicles then enter the west side of the building in a single file with the customer remaining in the vehicle and proceed through the car wash on an automatic tracking device. The entire operation, from payment until exiting the car wash takes approximately 3.5 minutes. Upon exiting the car wash, customers may use one of the 23 vacuum spaces to clean their vehicle’s interior and on average, customers take less than 5 minutes to self-clean their vehicles.”
At the moment a public hearing has not been scheduled for this application. Comments on this application may either be mailed to 31 South Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877 or emailed to [email protected].