Two car wash proposals move forward in Sturgis reviews

Two car wash projects in Sturgis moved forward through the city’s planning commission meeting Tuesday.

A special land use request and site plan review was approved unanimously for HyperShine Car Wash, set to be located at 1040 S. Centerville Road.

Erin McMachen spoke Tuesday on behalf of the developer for the project. The property was most recently home to Fiesta Mexicana, which closed April 9. The developer will demolish the existing building and construct an automatic car wash on the south side of the property.

McMachen said the car wash will have three pay station queues, one of which will include a monthly membership option. The automated car wash setup scans a vehicle’s license plate so the car wash system will know what car paid for what, McMachen said.

McMachen said the company is currently designing eight locations in Michigan, with new car washes recently opening in Lansing, Battle Creek and Brighton. The company largely serves Illinois, but is expanding into Michigan and Ohio.

A detailing station and 18 vacuum stalls will be among the amenities offered by the car wash, according to McMachen. Four employees will be on site at first to acquaint customers with the technology and options.

The car wash will also have an “escape” lane in the event of an emergency or sudden power outage.

McMachen said that if all moves forward as planned, the company is looking to break ground for the 3,750 square-foot facility over the summer and be open later in the year.

The driveway onto South Centerville Road will be a right-turn-only exit, which is a Michigan Department of Transportation requirement.

A site plan review was also approved for Sturgis Car Wash at 121 S. Centerville Road.

Paul Henderson spoke on behalf of the project for Blackstar Building Group, which submitted a site plan for review for the property, formerly the home of Johnston’s Skate O’ Rama prior to the building being demolished.

The developer has proposed the construction of a three-bay car wash. A special land use was approved for the location March 15.

Story continues

The building is 2,852 square feet and will house one self-wash and two automatic wash bays. The plans also include a self-serve vacuuming area. A new parking area and storm water management system will also be part of the development.

Henderson said first bay is a self-serve spray station, with the two other ones being fully mechanized. The site will not be manned during the day. A maintenance person will come in as needed.

There has been an easement agreement drafted with the property owners to the north and is in process of legal review, as there is no direct access to the lot. The property to the west is still being negotiated. The easement between the two properties is the only critical component for the project to move forward, Henderson said.

The agreement in the process of being approved include the splitting of maintenance costs in the access drive. The car wash owners would be granted access to their business, while the owners to the north would have access rights to the parking spots on the north side of the lot.

The project is set to break ground over the summer and be open in time for the winter season.

In other business, the Sturgis City Planning Commission also approved a nonconforming structure request for Abbott Manufacturing Inc. at 901 N. Centerville Road. Abbott is requesting a Class “A” nonconforming status for the existing structure. There are several nonconforming structures on site with the tallest building being 208 feet. The zoning ordinance only permits structures up to 50 feet.

The applicant is requesting a Class-A nonconforming structure designation to allow for an expansion. The expansion on the northeast side of the property will include an addition of 35,000 square feet to house a new dryer with a height of 128 1/2 feet, a 1,060 square-foot water treatment room, and a 12,548 square foot boiler/compressor addition. Additional development for the site will also include a new access drive from North Clay Street, utilities, retention pond for expansion and a new chemical drain line.

Public notice was given to the surrounding property owners within 300 feet April 30. As of May 13, the city reported it received no concerns regarding the proposal.

Commissioner Michael Caywood was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Two car wash proposals move forward in Sturgis reviews