Healdsburg Car Wash Splash Down

HEALDSBURG, CA — The long-vacant car wash site on Healdsburg Avenue is moving closer to restoring a service many residents have been without since the property's shut down several years ago.

The lot at 1191 Healdsburg Ave. now shows visible signs that a full-scale car wash is returning to Healdsburg, reviving a shuttered property on one of the city's busiest commercial corridors.

Subscribe

However, the carwash will be operated by a different company than the one permitted for the business, Splash.

Original plans called for a roughly 4,300-square-foot automated wash tunnel capable of serving hundreds of vehicles daily. Two vehicle queues would feed the wash tunnel before customers move to vacuum stations.

The property sits along a heavily traveled stretch of Healdsburg Avenue between Flyers Energy and Big O Tires, making it one of the most visible commercial redevelopment projects in the city.

The former car wash closed in 2022. While supporters viewed the project as a practical commercial investment that would restore a needed service, residents also raised concerns about traffic, noise, operational impacts, and water use.

A professional car wash typically uses up to 75 gallons of water per vehicle, depending on the type of wash. Washing a vehicle at home with a hose can use nearly twice that amount, according to industry estimates.

Those concerns were reviewed during the planning and permitting process before commissioners approved the proposal with conditions.

Plans for the site first emerged in 2022 under Splash Car Wash. At the time, Splash was owned by Lawrence Amaturo, a commercial developer with investments in automotive franchises and car washes. Amaturo is also the publisher of NorthBay biz magazine and owner of Amaturo Sonoma Media Group.

At the time, Amaturo and his project manager said the facility would exceed state recycling requirements by reclaiming and reusing a substantial portion of its wash water through an onsite treatment system. The final rinse would use potable water to minimize spotting on vehicles.

Under California Water laws, many types of car washes must now recycle at least 60% of wash and rinse water, or use 60% recycled water supplied by a utility. Letting wash water or cleaning chemicals flow into the street, gutter, or a storm drain is illegal in Healdsburg, making traditional driveway car wash fundraisers more difficult to conduct legally. Designs for the new car wash include a tunnel where the car showering will be done.

The apparent operator, LUV Car Wash, is headquartered in Arizona. The company was founded in 2021 by Darren Skarecky, JT Thomson, and Susquehanna Private Capital. LUV has opened locations in American Canyon, Rohnert Park, and Santa Rosa, and has announced additional sites in Petaluma, Cloverdale, Ukiah, and Fairfield, according to industry reports.