A national car wash developer is looking to bring a new express car wash to a photography studio property on South Oxford Valley Road in Bristol Township.
Advertisements
Flagship Pennsylvania Propco LLC presented preliminary sketch plans to the Bristol Township Planning Commission earlier this month for the property at 555 South Oxford Valley Road in the Fairless Hills section of the township.
The developer is looking to redevelop the commercially-zoned site into a Spotless Brands-owned express car wash, which would feature an automatic wash tunnel and free vacuum stations.
“We recognize that we’ll need to go get a conditional use for the car wash,” said Bernadette Kearney, an attorney representing the applicant.
Advertisements
Kearney noted that the company plans to meet with local residents to gather feedback on the proposal.
As outlined in the sketch plans, motorists would enter the facility from Fairbridge Drive, pass through one of three automated pay stations, and circle around the wash tunnel before exiting onto Saxony Drive.
Advertisements
Customers would stay inside their vehicles during the four-minute wash process.
The facility is designed to handle three to five vehicles simultaneously in the tunnel and would have three to four employees on-site during peak hours.
Ray Gargano, vice president of development and construction for Spotless Brands, told the commission that the parent company operates 230 locations nationwide under four brands. From Virginia to New York, the locations operate under the Flagship banner.
Spotless recently acquired Pete’s Car Wash locations for conversion, and Spotless Brands projects developing 40 additional facilities over the next three years.
Advertisements
Planning commission members asked the developer about potential disruptions to the surrounding neighborhood, including traffic patterns, lighting, and noise.
Company officials said that traffic studies from their other locations show no stacking of vehicles, and noted the Bristol Township site would feature a members-only lane to speed up the line.
Advertisements
As a way to address noise from the 35-foot-tall, 4,750-square-foot facility, Gargano said the tunnel is designed to direct sound away from homes.
The company also would place acoustic materials between wooden fences and house the central vacuum system inside an enclosed building. Additionally, the pay stations will not use speakers or external audio.
Advertisements
“Car washes can be loud. We’ve got a whole system with these new car washes” to keep the sound down, Gargano said.
On the topic of lighting, company representatives said they plan to install cut-off fixtures at the curb edges to prevent light from spilling onto adjacent properties. The business would typically close at 8 p.m., at which point most lights would be turned off, leaving only select lighting active for safety.
Advertisements
Landscaping would be placed along the residential border, Gargano said.
The car wash plan, according to official, will require multiple zoning variances, including a request to reduce the required 30-foot buffer zone down to 16 feet at its closest point to nearby homes.
Gargano committed to hosting community meetings with neighbors within the next 60 days.
Advertisements
The presentation was limited to a preliminary proposal, and the planning commission did not issue a formal recommendation.
The developer must secure conditional use approval, zoning variances, and final land development approvals to move forward.
Spotless Brands, which is owned by Maryland-based private equity firm Access Holdings, announced last year that its plans to develop 30 car wash locations in the Philadelphia region by the end of 2027.
