TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City Planning Commission is reviewing a proposal to construct a new automatic car wash and mat washing building on East Front Street. TXC Great Lakes Fund LP, doing business as Tommy’s Express, submitted the site plan application for the facility located at 1054 and 1060 E Front St.
The 1.24-acre project is situated in the C-three Community Center District, where car washes are a use allowed by right. Planning Director Shawn Winter informed the commission that because the project is a by-right use, the city must approve the application if it meets all established local and state development standards.
The proposed development requires the demolition of all existing buildings and parking areas on the two lots. The 1.24-acre site previously housed a fast-food restaurant with a drive-through and a drive-through coffee shop, both of which are classified as autocentric uses. Planning Director Shawn Winter coordinated the internal review of the site plan. “Staff have been working with the applicant on their prepared plan set,” Winter wrote in a memo to the Planning Commission.
Traffic access will utilize existing curb cuts on East Front Street and Garfield Avenue, along with two access points on the southern alley. The Michigan Department of Transportation has approved the Front Street curb cut as a right-in and right-out only entrance. Representatives for Tommy’s Express noted in the application that the site provides “good traffic flow” and that the car wash itself will operate with one-way internal circulation.
To manage vehicle volume, the project includes three pay lanes and stacking capacity for approximately 31 vehicles. This layout is designed to keep vehicles from backing up into the internal drive or the public right of way. Except for the vacuuming stations, all business operations will be conducted inside the buildings to minimize the impact of noise and moisture on the surrounding area.
The 5,484-square-foot facility will feature a facade primarily made of glass, split-face concrete masonry units and fiber cement panels. Winter noted that the architectural design meets city transparency requirements. “The amount of glazing on the first floor of the structure exceeds the minimum standard of 40%,” Winter stated in the staff report. The building also includes “towers” at each end reaching up to 28 feet in height to provide vertical variety.
The plan includes a five-foot masonry decorative wall to be built 10 feet from the southern alley to screen the facility from nearby residential properties. Additional mitigation measures include trench drains at the exits to collect excess water and a snowmelt system to prevent icy conditions on the pavement. Winter confirmed that there is sufficient utility capacity for the facility’s needs and firefighting requirements.
The Planning Department recommended approval of the site plan under the condition that the two parcels are combined into a single property. The Planning Commission will adopt the staff report as a finding of fact during its final review of application 26-SPR-01.