Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph, who was the only commission member to vote against allowing the request to advance to a second reading, said this is one of the toughest decisions he’s had to make during his two decades in office.
“I think we need to bet on the neighborhood — bet that (there’s) a use that the immediate neighbors need and want, that really reflects the long-term plan for that area," Joseph said.
The city commission is expected to consider a second reading of the proposed zoning map amendment on the last day of the year, Dec. 31. The request would need the support of four of the five members of the commission to be approved.
At the Dec. 17 city commission meeting there was a public hearing for a zoning map amendment request for a proposed Flying Ace Express Car Wash at 1158 Wilmington Ave., which is a former Rite Aid. Four of the five members of the Dayton City Commission were present; Commissioner and Mayor-Elect Shenise Turner-Sloss was absent.
The proposed car wash project represents a $4 million investment that would create up to 15 jobs, said Gerald McDonald, an attorney for the applicant, Express Wash Concepts.
Joe Bertucci, vice president of development for Express Wash Concepts, said the Rite Aid property has been empty for three years and has failed to attract meaningful interest from other developers.
Flying Ace has about 10 locations in the Dayton region, including on Dorothy Lane in Moraine; Airway Road in Riverside; and Indian Ripple Road in Beavercreek.
The proposed project site is bordered by Patterson Road to the south, Wilmington Pike to the west, Colwick Drive to the north and Revere Avenue to the east.
Nine neighbors and community members whose families live near the project site say the car wash would harm the neighborhood.
“This is zoned ENC (Eclectic Neighborhood Commercial) for a reason, because we’re in a residential area where there’s a lot of pedestrian activity,” said Eileen Comerford, who lives nearby on Croyden Drive.
Dick Stevens, whose sister in her 70s lives on Colwick Drive, said this project is a bad fit for the site and area, largely for safety reasons. Stevens said traffic almost certainly will back up on Colwick Drive, which is such a narrow street that there is no on-street parking.
He said he fears his sister and other residents could get hit or wind up in crashes when they back out of their driveways. Stevens, who says he’s a fan of Flying Ace as a business, also said there are many residents in the area who have disabilities and he worries more traffic and a poorly designed site plan could put them at risk.
Stevens also pointed out that the Dayton City Plan Board unanimously voted twice to recommend denial of the zoning map amendment request because they had major concerns about the project.
Steve Dillhoff, president of the Patterson Park Civic Association, said the former Rite Aid is surrounded by multiple vacant properties that are attracting graffiti, break-ins and other nuisance activities.
“Currently, these properties are a net negative for our community, and this project would turn that into a net positive,” he said. “Right now we have rampant vacancies — if we reject this proposal, how long will it be before these properties get filled?"
Dillhoff said the area already is home to a hardware store, a church, a storage business and multiple banks and bars. He said other Flying Ace locations are not noticeably more noisy than the sound of passing traffic.
Bertucci said the Belmont site would be able to handle 50 vehicles without cars backing up on the street. He said at peak times, the car wash might see 80 to 100 vehicles, but usually there will be significantly fewer customers.
Dayton City Commissioner Chris Shaw, who is a regular customer of Flying Ace, said this is a hard decision, which he likened to the choice the commission faced about the Dayton Arcade when it was empty and faced an uncertain future. The commission ultimately decided to approve stabilization efforts to try to support its redevelopment.
“This is a tough one,” Shaw said. “What I don’t want to see is a Rite Aid that deteriorates and sits there another three or however more years, with graffiti and everything that comes with it.”
Commissioner Darryl Fairchild said he is very sympathetic to residents’ concerns, but an important job of the commission is to find ways to move unproductive properties into productive use.
Joseph, who lives in the Belmont neighborhood, said he does not think the noise would be a problem and he’s also worried that the property could remain an eyesore for years to come.
But Joseph said multiple residents who live near the property “passionately” oppose the car wash proposal, and he would prefer to see a project that is more suitable for the neighborhood.
“This is one of the most tough decisions I’ve had to make in all of my 22 years,” said Joseph, who was elected to the commission in 2004.
The Dayton City Plan Board has twice unanimously recommended denial of the car wash zoning map amendment request. Because of this, four of the five members of the city commission would have to approve the amendment for the application to be approved.
About the Author
