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The Whistle Express Car Wash at 7423 Pole Green Road in Mechanicsville. A proposed ordinance amendment would make car washes a conditional use in Hanover’s General Business (B-3) zoning district. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Weeks after it approved new limitations on vape shops, Hanover County is now looking to curb the growth of car washes.
Later this month the county planning commission is slated to review a zoning ordinance amendment that would make car washes a conditional use in the General Business (B-3) district.
As a conditional use, future car washes planned for properties zoned B-3 would need to secure case-by-case approval by the Hanover Board of Supervisors. Currently, car washes are a by-right use in B-3 areas, which means they don’t need the approval of county supervisors to open and aren’t typically subject to a public hearing.
Both automatic and non-automatic car washes would require conditional use permits under the proposed new zoning rule, which would apply to car washes that are principal as well as accessory uses on a property, per the proposed ordinance language. Car washes at gas stations would also need a conditional use permit.
Existing car washes would be grandfathered in and wouldn’t require a conditional use permit to operate. The new rules would only apply to future car washes following the amendment approval.
The pending amendment comes in response to residents’ complaints about the number of car washes in the county, said Jo Ann Hunter, Hanover’s director of planning and community development.
Complaints heard by Hanover about the “proliferation” of car washes include concerns about traffic, stormwater runoff, chemical discharge and how the businesses affect the aesthetics of the community, per a county memo.
There are at least 16 car washing businesses in Hanover, according to a county report. That list is mostly car washes, but also includes several mobile car washing and detailing businesses.
The ordinance amendment wouldn’t apply to mobile businesses or car washing facilities at dealerships, truck terminals and other businesses not open to the public.
The planning commission is due to hold a public hearing on the proposed amendment on Nov. 20. The Board of Supervisors is slated to render a final verdict on the amendment following a public comment period at its meeting on Dec. 10.
As things stand, B-3 is the only district in Hanover where a car wash can be built by right. If the amendment is approved, car washes will be a conditional use countywide. Car washes are also a conditional use in the county’s Light Industrial (M-2), Heavy Industrial (M-3) and Office/Service (OS) districts.
The scrutiny in Hanover comes amid a local boom time for the car wash industry in recent years. Locally based Flagstop Car Wash has been on a streak of opening and acquiring locations around the region, and a co-owner of the local Tommy’s Express franchise recently bought the site of a former KFC for a car wash in western Henrico.
The move to potentially restrict car washes also follows Hanover’s new zoning limitations on vape shops, which the board of supervisors passed in September.
Jack joined BizSense in 2020. He covers local government, retail, healthcare and higher education news. He previously reported for the Virginia Gazette and Tidewater Review after graduating from Christopher Newport University. Reach him at jack@richmondbizsense.com or 804-554-6545.
Most of these car washes are fairly attractive aesthetically and they wouldn’t be built if the market wasn’t there to support the business. Private equity has poured into that business model and the returns promised to investors are huge. It reminds me of the self storage industry and how it progressed from concrete blocks and orange doors to the climate controlled buildings that proliferate today. Only so many can be built before the market gets saturated, so controlling it through legislative action appears to be overkill. It’s hard for me to believe that they contribute significantly to traffic issues. Where… Read more »
Besides Hanover not wanting apartments, I find it interesting that a county so obviously conservative would step on industry and create additional regulations to impede the free market. I guess regulations are only bad when you didn’t make them.
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