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To: Planning and Development Services Department City of Glendale, Arizona From: Paul Devers Subject: Project Narrative Administrative Design Review Conditional Use Permit Super Star Express Carwash 5810 W. Thunderbird Road Glendale, AZ 85306 Date: December 2, 2020 PROJECT NARRATIVE Cawley Architects, Inc. is requesting approvals to build a new, freestanding, self-serve carwash. The proposed new +/4,140 S.F. ‘Super Star Express Car Wash’ is to be located at the Northwest corner of Thunderbird Road and 57th Drive. The project will require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and a hearing before the City of Glendale Planning Commission. An Administrative Design Review is required and will be concurrently reviewed; however, the design review will not be approved prior to final Planning Commission Approval of the CUP. Project Description: An express car wash is basically a self-service operation with automated pay stations. The wash tunnel is enclosed, and customers have the option to ride in the vehicle during the wash process. Exterior drying and interior vacuuming is typically done by the customer. During peak times, the facility can be operated with 2-3 people. Site Description: The proposed site is approximately 37,445 S.F. (+/-0.86 acres). The APN for the site is 200- 74-707. The site was a Safeway gas station that has been demolished. The existing driveways along Thunderbird Road and 57th Avenue will remain. This project will provide complete site and building improvements. Zoning, Use and Conformance: This site is zoned C-2 General Commercial to which allows a car wash as a Conditional Use Permit – “Convenience Use” as described in City of Glendale Zoning Ordinance Section 5.754. The General Plan LU Designation is: PC (Planned Commercial) Received December 2, 2020 2 Conditional Use Permit: Proposed Use: A carwash is considered a convenience use as described in Section 2.300 of the City of Glendale Municipal Code. Per Sec. 5.754J, of the zoning ordinance, convenience uses are subject to a conditional use permit (CUP) entitlement process. The following findings will be evaluated by staff and the Planning Commission. All five findings need to be met for conditional use approval. Q.1. Is the proposed use consistent with the policies, objectives and land use map of the Glendale General Plan and the purpose of the zone district in which the site is located. Response: The General Plan LU Designation is: PC (Planned Commercial). The Planned Commercial designation provides for commercial retail development that is planned, constructed and operated as a single entity. Planned Commercial projects require a master development plan to show the relationship between buildings, driveways and internal circulation, pedestrian circulation, gathering areas, parking and landscaped area. The site, for the proposed car wash, is located in an existing established shopping center that has been built out. There are multiple commercial uses including a grocery store, dining venues and service uses. The car wash site is being repurposed and the exisitng fuel station is no longer in business. The car wash site design will utilize the existing driveways and traffic circulation. The new building location is consistent with the existing relationships between the other existing buildings. Q.2. The proposed use will not be detrimental to the health, safety or general welfare of persons residing or working in the neighborhood of the proposed use, or have an adverse effect on the property, adjacent properties, the surrounding neighborhood or the city when consideration is given to the character and size of the use and hours of operation. Response: Historically speaking, this request is compatible as there was a previous use for a Safeway gas station which received conditional use approval (ZU-00-12) for ten fueling stations under a canopy. The new car wash facility will utilize the most current state of the art equipment all of which is totally indoors to reduce noise or vibration. The facility does not generate smoke, odor, or dust. The facility will operate from 7 am to 8 pm seven days a week. Which is compatible with the surrounding commercial uses. Q.3. The proposed site is adequate in size and shape to accommodate the intended use and that all requirements for the zone district, including sidewalks, landscaping and buffer yards are met. 3 Response: The car wash operator has multiple facilities in the valley including locations in Glendale. The site layout and internal circulation are the result of past experiences, recommendations from the equipment manufacturer and industry standards. Each site is unique and the building size and number of vacuum stalls are dependent on the site area and boundary configurations. This particular site is adequate for the number of vacuum bays and the length of the car wash tunnel. Sidewalks, landscaping and buffer yards are designed to conform with the zoning regulations. Q.4. That the proposed site has adequate access to public streets and highways to carry the type and quantity of traffic which may be generated by the subject use and that on-site circulation is adequate to permit driveways, parking and loading requirements in a manner which is safe and efficient. Response: The primary access to the site is from a major throughfare, West Thunderbird Road, with secondary access from 57th Drive. There is a left turn signal from Thunderbird Road to 57th Drive along with a deceleration lane from Thunderbird Dive with a right turn to the immediate west of the site. A preliminary site plan was submitted to the City for a Pre-Application Review and the comments were generally in conformance with ordinance requirements. However, there were issues with the internal traffic circulation and access points into the car wash site. As a result, the site plan was modified to alleviate the concerns of the city transportation engineer. Q.5. That adequate conditions or stipulations have been incorporated into the approval of the conditional use permit to ensure that any anticipated detrimental effects may be mitigated. Vehicular Access and Parking: The project will utilize the existing common shared access driveways on both the west and east side of the property that is accessed from Thunderbird Road for vehicular traffic into the site. The queuing and vacuum bay access is along the north property line. Twenty-eight (28) covered vacuum bays are provided to meet both ordinance and operational requirements. Employee parking will be allowed in vacuum bay stalls. The Fire Truck and Refuse maneuvering and access are provided per City of Glendale development standards. Landscape, R.O.W. and Offsite Improvements, Easements: The site is designed to utilize the existing shared drive access points and circulation within the overall development. All R.O.W. dedications and offsite improvements are existing no additional dedications are proposed. 4 Architecture and Building Design: The design of the project is contemporary, rich in materials and colors, adding visual interest to the surrounding buildings. The exterior elevations will be composed of concrete masonry units of alternating colors with overlapping horizontal planes and varying parapet heights. Corrugated metal planes provide additional color and texture. The car wash windows are articulated with flat metal awnings to provide additional interest and details. The building is intentionally articulated both in plan and at the parapet to form rectangular wall planes of varied colors. The main portion of the building will have a flat roof, while the wash bay will be covered with a shade material spanning between the wash bay walls. The vacuum bays and pay stations will be covered with pre-engineered steel canopy frames with a fabric sunshade. Sincerely, Paul Devers Principal Architect Cawley Architects, Inc.