A public hearing is scheduled in November for amendments to Riverside’s zoning code related to car washes before an ordinance is presented to the village board later this year.
The set of amendments, if they are adopted by the village, would establish that car washes need permission to open in the B1-C business subdistricts along Harlem Avenue via the special use process, which means Riverside’s planning and zoning commission and village board can review each application on a case-by-case basis, Community Development Director Anne Cyran said.
As part of a special use application, neighbors to a relevant property would be notified through signage of the public hearing in which the special use permit might be approved, Cyran said.
Trustees on Oct. 15 directed the planning and zoning commission to move forward with a public hearing on Nov. 17, giving residents a chance to comment on the changes, which the commission proposed earlier this year, before they are adopted.
Cyran told the Landmark that Riverside began looking at car wash zoning in May after village staff were contacted by a real estate company to see where such a business might be able to open in town.
“When we reviewed the zoning code, we found that car washes aren’t listed as a use in any district, so we pursued the amendments,” Cyran said. “We’re not aware that any car wash is coming to the village. The original inquiry was general. The company was looking at potential locations across the area, not a specific Riverside property, and it hasn’t followed up about any site.”
Cyran said the amendments will “set the standards for each future proposal” for a car wash, including that any proposed car wash must conduct noise, traffic and chemical safety studies so Riverside can ensure it would be operated safely and without being a nuisance to drivers or nearby residents.
“It’s hard to put hard and fast rules, because it’s very site-specific, but, basically, every applicant will have to come up with a plan to show how they’re going to address each one of those concerns,” Village Attorney Robert Pickrell told trustees on Oct. 15. “We have to be satisfied in our absolute, reasonable discretion that what they’ve shown us does actually address each one of those concerns. How they address it is really up to them, and we can decide whether or notwe’re satisfied.”
Applicants would also have to address on-site parking and queuing, water supply, wastewater, litter, lighting and curb design in their proposal, Cyran said.
“I was as thorough as I could possibly be to consider every [potential concern],” Cyran said.
