Rezoning of odd lot makes way for new car wash

An odd-shaped, 1.16-acre lot at the southeast corner of Warren Drive and State Road 240, essentially orphaned by the development of the sprawling Walmart Distribution Center property behind it, was approved for rezoning by the City Plan Commission at its November meeting.

The rezoning of the property at 209 S. Warren Dr. from General Industrial to General Business 2 came at the request of Tangent Car Wash Co., represented by local attorney Eddie Felling.

The trapezoidal-shaped site was subdivided in the 1990s from the original family farm acreage sold to allow for the new Walmart Distribution Center. The parcel was split so the remaining family member would be able to continue living in the house that was eventually torn down in 2013, City Planner Scott Zimmerman noted in a memo.

Being on the former Penn Central Railroad line (now SR 240), the property has long been zoned General Industrial (GI). However, the homestead lot does not meet the GI district lot requirement of five acres and generally does not lend itself to GI uses with extensive storage and truck access. Reuse for a residential dwelling would not be allowed, Zimmerman, who was absent from the meeting, added in his memo.

Tangent Car Wash developers requested rezoning to GB2, which is what the area directly north of it across SR 240 is zoned. The property will have no access to SR 240, which is defined as a limited-access highway under state regulations. The car wash will use the existing curb cut off Warren Drive for ingress and egress.

“Uses are not likely to generate a significantly higher level of traffic than the intersection already receives from employees of Walmart Distribution and Heartland Automotive,” Zimmerman pointed out.

In the Tangent application, attorney Felling notes that “the current lot size for general industrial zoning is impractical. The lot remains vacant and the highest and best use for property at this location is commercial in nature.”

The site had been on the open market for quite a while, Felling said, leading to the assumption that Walmart had written off any need for the property.

Felling said his client, Garrett Smith, has “no desire to use it for any other purpose other than a car wash.”

Even to maximize the site for a car wash will require variances for the north and west property lines and for the setback (50 feet required) from the People Pathways property north of the site.

The site has six to eight dedicated parking spots for car wash employees, Fellling added. Customers, of course, will be driving through without parking.

The site is “already a non-conforming lot size,” City Attorney Laurie Hardwick pointed out, calling it “way smaller than anything we’d allow as industrial” on a 1.16-acre parcel.

“It’s just an odd shape,” Felling responded, “obviously we wish we had more space.”

Plan Commission member Matt Welker asked about the possibility of a buffer between the car wash and the People Pathways leg. “It makes sense to somehow have an attractive barrier there to keep the random 10-year-old on his bike from riding onto the property,” he suggested.

“You start leaving out setbacks and buffers on this and the building area on the site is pretty tiny,” Mayor Bill Dory noted.

“They’re down to their (car wash) tunnel and their vacuums,” Felling said of his client. “They feel confident in what’s there.”

Addressing another question from Welker about the name of the facility, Felling said, “I can share with you it won’t be a Crew Car Wash or anything like that. It’ll be a private, independent car wash.”

Plan Commission member Eric Wolfe, who made the motion to approve the rezoning, agreed that the site needed to be something other than an industrial land use, pointing to a similar site south on Warren Drive that his real estate firm has listed for rent. It is a small warehouse with an “awkward turning” radius that makes it difficult for semis and other big trucks to access.

With a second from Donnie Watson, the commission voted unanimously to approve the rezoning, which will be sent to the City Council as recommended for approval. The Council will need to pass an ordinance on two separate readings before it becomes official. After that it is expected the project will go before the Greencastle Board of Zoning Appeals for the property line and setback variances Felling mentioned.

Following that, he said, it will be “shovels in the ground as soon as possible this spring.”

Meanwhile, with the county taking over jurisdiction of the two-mile fringe, a move expected this January, the two fringe-area representativs on the City Plan Commission -- Emily Knuth and Chairman Doug Wokoun -- said their goodbyes at the end of the 45-minute meeting.

“It is appropriate at my last meeting we get to vote on a new car wash,” Knuth said. “For those of you who don’t know, my dad (Steve Jones), had a car wash (Greencastle Wash n’ Fill) for many years.”

Wokoun was a bit more emotional as he prepares to leave both Plan Commission and BZA, both of which he currently chairs.

“It’s been a great pleasure to serve with this group,” he said. “Voluntary public service is the highest form of citizenship.”

Wokoun called the commission “one local group that does fantastic work,” adding, “Just to be associated with you has been a great privilege for me.”

Joining Wokoun, Knuth, Dory, Wolfe, Welker and Watson for the November meeting were Mark Hammer, Tim Trigg, Jeff Mahan and J.D. Miller. An 11th position has remained vacant since Wayne Lewis went off the board, having maxed out his tenure.