Residents Mobilize Against Proposed Fairless Hills Car Wash

Neighbors of a proposed car wash on South Oxford Valley Road are rallying against the project before the plans are formally submitted to township officials.

LevittownNow.com reported earlier this month that Flagship Pennsylvania Propco LLC is developing plans for a Spotless Brands-owned express car wash at 555 South Oxford Valley Road in the Fairless Hills section of the township. The facility would feature an automatic wash tunnel and free vacuum stations.

The company has stated it plans to meet with local residents.

Damian Morlando, a 44-year resident of Fairbridge Drive, voiced the opposition of neighbors from both Fairbridge and Saxony drives at the Bristol Township Council meeting last week.

Residents’ primary concern centers on traffic overflowing onto residential streets.

“I’ve been here 44 years … and every 10 years somebody seems to want to go in there,” Morlando told the council. “But I don’t have an objection to having it as a playground or a pool store, something that doesn’t create a lot of traffic. But for it to be a car wash, it’s ridiculous.”

“We put a petition together. We got 122 signatures in two days,” Morlando added.

Township officials confirmed that the proposal is in its early stages and has only been submitted as a sketch plan.

Due to the small size of the site, Township Manager Randee Mazur said the developer will likely need to appear before the Bristol Township Zoning Hearing Board before any land development approvals.

The land development process requires official notices to be sent to neighbors. It will offer them a formal opportunity to speak for or against the project.

Council President Craig Bowen acknowledged the community’s pushback and said the township will share the petition with officials.

The developer told planners earlier this month that they do not project traffic problems. Representatives also stated they would address noise concerns stemming from the proposed 4,750-square-foot building and noted that the wash tunnel would accommodate three to five vehicles at a time.

Ray Gargano, vice president of development and construction for Spotless Brands, said earlier this month that the company operates 230 locations nationwide across four brands. Its locations from Virginia to New York operate under the Flagship banner.

Spotless Brands, which is owned by the Maryland-based private equity firm Access Holdings, recently acquired Pete’s Car Wash locations in the region.

The company projects developing 40 additional facilities over the next three years, including an announced plan last year to establish 30 car wash locations in the Philadelphia region by the end of 2027.