NORTH STAFFORD — A new car wash could soon be built next to North Stafford High School.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 16 heard the case for a conditional use permit to that would allow owner Donn Hart to open Patriot’s Crossing Car Wash on Garrisonville Road near the school.
The issue seen with the soon-to-be car wash’s location is the proximity to North Stafford High School.
The school’s entrance road, Wolverine Way, is a VDOT maintained road but it is not owned by VDOT. There is intervening property between the school and the car wash. A portion of the school’s property is interceding with the applicant’s property.
According to Jeff Harvey, Director of Planning and Zoning, the School Board must approve an interconnecting entryway between the carwash’s and the School’s entry road.
“I do not know if the School Board has given us permission, [to use the access road]” Harvey said during his presentation to the Board of Supervisors.
The proposed car wash is a 4,000 square foot building which Harvey calls a “Tunnel carwash” meaning that cars go into the automated car wash at one end and come out the other. There are also areas where customers can stop and vacuum their cars manually.
According to Harvey, there will be no negative impacts on traffic flow on to Garrisonville Road.
The car wash will be 400 feet away from the Park Ridge Community and 160 feet away from the high school according to Hart’s agent, Sherman Patrick Jr who presented in front of the county’s leaders.
The car wash will utilize a water recycling system that captures about 50 percent of the water.
A sidewalk will be built in front of the car wash starting in front of the planned site and extending to North Stafford High School.
The Planning Commission originally zoned the property so that it could become an indoor sports facility, much like the Jeff Rouse Center in Embry Mill. In 2017 the property changed hands due to a lack of funding for the indoor facility.
The Board deferred the vote until the supervisors’ next meeting scheduled for Nov. 7.
