Hearing on Controversial Car Wash Could Be Put On Hold Indefinitely

Another hearing on a controversial car wash may not be conducted anytime soon.

The matter is apparently being put off indefinitely, according to an item on Thursday’s Board of Appeal agenda,

“Staff is recommending to the Board of Zoning Appeals that Conditional Use Permit #6843, for property located at 2030 East Colorado Boulevard, be continued to a date uncertain and not be heard on May 20, 2021 as previously scheduled,” states a memo accompanying the board’s agenda. “The application will be re-noticed when a new hearing date is determined.”

Residents living near the proposed Wild Wash Express car wash say the project would negatively impact their quality of life by increasing traffic and pollution in their eastern Pasadena neighborhoods.

Many people have written to oppose the project, and residents continued writing to the city opposing the car wash in anticipation of the board’s next meeting.

“We recently moved into this neighborhood with a newborn son and puppy and intend to raise our family here,” wrote Daniel Bay. “There are already a number of cars who race down our street South Berkeley Avenue, and it would be terrible for this car wash to be built, which would only increase congestion in the area. Not to mention there are already a number of car washes in the immediate vicinity that aren’t around residential areas that can be used. Our neighborhood has a large number of young families and the construction of this car wash would be a huge net negative to the safety of the area. Please reconsider this.”

The owner of the car wash, Tiko Pogosyan, told Pasadena Now last month that rather than create congestion his new express wash might relieve it.

“I think any kind of a use that you put in there, residents are going to voice some concerns in regards to traffic, noise, and air pollution,” said Pogosyan. “So those are three basic items that you know residents have issues with on any kind of a project you put in.”

Pogosyan said those concerns are going to lead residents to write to their City Council representative in search of a way to mitigate some of the problems that are going to arise when a business opens.

To make way for a Wild West Express car wash, four buildings would be demolished, an existing driveway approach on East Colorado Boulevard would be removed, two approaches on San Marino Avenue would be modified, a 3,490 square-foot car wash tunnel along the East Colorado Boulevard frontage would be constructed, two queuing lanes would be built to allow vehicles to make payments at a new 75 square-foot kiosk prior to entering the car wash tunnel, and two vacuum equipment structures of 168 and 212 square feet in the parking lot would be built, according to a staff report on the project.

In addition, an existing 2,580 square-foot equipment and storage building would be renovated, 32 parking spaces behind the new car wash tunnel with 30 self-serve vacuums and two for employee use would be created, three solar canopies would be constructed over parking spaces in the parking lot, an eight-foot-high block wall at the rear of the property would be built, and an existing 2,580 square-foot equipment and storage building would be renovated.

Various site improvements would include landscaping, paving and striping.

On Nov. 18, a city hearing officer approved a conditional use permit (CUP) for the property that is presently occupied by five buildings previously occupied by a business dealing with vehicle services, sales and leasing.

In response to public comments, the hearing officer added four conditions in order to address concerns related to traffic along San Marino Avenue and noise from the vacuums along the southern property line.

A site attendant would be required to direct on-site traffic to ensure that no vehicles block the sidewalk and no vehicle queues on the public right of way. In addition, vehicular traffic exiting the site would be restricted to left-turn only (toward Colorado Boulevard) to limit cars traveling toward residential properties to the south.

As it relates to the vacuums located at the parking spaces along the southern property line, the machines would be used only between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. and be limited to only when customer demand would necessitate their use.

The property is located within the East Colorado Specific Plan, the Route 66 area, where a car wash may be allowed with the approval of a CUP, according to a city staff report.

By the city’s estimates, the project is not expected to generate more than 300 daily trips, and a project that generates less than 300 daily trips is exempt from providing a traffic study.

But according to one Pasadena land-use attorney, if the business operated from 7 to 8 p.m. with 30 parking spaces, 300 daily trips would equate to less than one car per parking space being washed every hour. According to his analysis, the car wash could result in 990 daily trips.