Gaithersburg residents have shifted the debate over a proposed car wash that would replace two single-family homes at 605 and 607 South Frederick Avenue, and an undeveloped plot at 601 South Frederick. After residents launched a campaign to oppose approval of the car wash, and the Mayor and Council discussed the project and the feedback from all stakeholders, city staff has now drawn up a resolution denying approval of the site plan.
Issues raised by the community, of which ten residents spoke at the March 21, 2022 public hearing, included traffic back-ups, and noise and light concerns. The proximity of a stream to the properties, and the proposed location of a retaining wall relative to the stream's buffer zone, also generated environmental impact concerns.
Staff found that the car wash would not fit with the residential character of the location, which is how the city's master plan currently characterizes it. A car wash would not foster "an attractive and cohesive development pattern" for that area, the staff report asserts, as it would create a more "vehicle-intensive use" and include a structure larger than anything currently around it. The side street, Central Avenue, is residential and could not handle the traffic volumes of the car wash curb cuts on that side of the property, staff concluded.
The two homes that would be demolished are old enough that they cannot be demolished without a review of their historical significance, the staff report notes. Overall, staff concluded, the project is not in "the public interest," based on negative community feedback, and increased traffic and environmental impacts.
The Mayor and Council will consider the resolution of denial at their meeting tonight, June 21, 2022.
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