A new drive-through car wash at the northwest corner of Roosevelt Road and Austin Boulevard may skirt the electrification ordinance adopted by the village board in June 2023.
The village board of trustees unanimously granted Driven Car Wash, LLC, a special use permit for the car wash facilities and drive-through at 6000-6020 Roosevelt Road during a Dec. 4 meeting despite some residents’ prior concerns about noise and traffic. The developers plan to demolish the vacant bank building located at the site.
Christopher Niro, one of the developers, said if he and his partner, Chris Jenks, submit the necessary building permits in 2023, they plan to adhere to the 2023 building code.
“There’s only two significant units on-site that use natural gas,” Jenks said. “Everything else in terms of radiant heating could be electrified if need be.”
Trustee Susan Buchanan, who said she is an advocate for climate change mitigation, stressed the importance of the electrification ordinance, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024.
The goal of ordinance is to help Oak Park achieve its Climate Ready Oak Park Plan. The plan aspires to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Buildings in Oak Park are responsible for roughly 70 percent of the community’s greenhouse gas emissions.
If the permits are submitted in December 2023, the developers will be grandfathered into the 2023 building code, said village planner Craig Failor.
“I’m in favor of full electrification of all buildings,” Buchanan said. “That’s the direction we are going to have to go immediately to meet our climate change goals.”
An express exterior-only car wash will be built at the site, requiring customers to stay in their vehicles, according to the Village of Oak Park. The facility will also have 25 self-serve vacuum stalls.
The trustees’ decision to grant the special use permit mirrors the zoning board of appeals’ unanimous recommendation to approve the application. This recommendation came despite a public hearing Oct. 11 during which residents spoke out against the development, citing concerns of increased traffic, safety of pedestrians and noise, according to the Village of Oak Park.
After the Oct. 11 hearing, village staff requested an acoustics study to determine the noise effect on nearby residences. The study was conducted by Shiner Acoustics of Chicago, which found that while the car wash may not have a significant effect on nearby residences, noises from the car wash could still be heard.
Village staff also requested a traffic study, which was conducted by Kenig, Lindgren, O’Hara, Aboona, Inc. of Rosemont, Illinois. This study found that the existing infrastructure at the location of the proposed car wash is sufficient to accommodate the additional traffic. The study also gave recommendations on how to help the flow of traffic on peak days of operation, including increasing the service rate, using staff to direct traffic and implementing signs prohibiting left-turns when exiting the site.
Jenks said he and Niro were encouraged by the results and found the site on Roosevelt Road would be appropriate for the project while not impeding traffic.
The special-use permit granted to the developers will not expire, Failor said, unless the operation is closed and abandoned for at least six months. The developers will have to acquire a building permit for construction, however, which will remain valid as long as the developers are constructing the facility.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago will also have to examine the property to ensure proper water retention on site, Failor said.
“I want to make sure we’re really set up here for a smooth construction process,” trustee Lucia Robinson said. “Nothing that would further agitate some of the comments in opposition.”
Jenks said they chose Oak Park as a location for one of their car washes because they are both from the area and saw a need for this service in the community.
“I washed many cars at Oak Park-River Forest car wash fundraisers,” Niro said. “That will take a little bit of a hit when we’re here, but we will definitely engage with them, and they can come wash cars at our location.”