Will Water and Oil Mix at Splash Car Wash?

Mark Curtis believes oil and water will not only mix, but mix well at Splash car wash in Wilton.

Curtis, the owner of the 382 Danbury Road location and another division in Norwalk, addressed the Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday night to present his special permit application. He plans to convert two detailing areas within his Wilton facility to oil and lubrication bays to augment his business.

A number of P&Z commissioners expressed concern over the storage of oil on the premises should the permit be approved.

"I am concerned about having 2,500 gallons of oil on the property," said commissioner Mike Rudolph. "All I'm saying is - if that gets a good start [on fire] in that self-contained, insulated room- BOOM."

Curtis corrected Rudolph, pointing out that oil is not explosive and that the oil tanks would be reinforced and well-contained. In addition, the tanks would be constantly monitored by alarms, which Curtis said have never been activated at his other location, making an explosion unlikely.

"Each of the tanks is double-walled. There would have to be a catastrophic breach that would have to go beyond the containment tank [for an explosion to occur]," Curtis said.

He added that the tanks are above ground, thus easily monitored, and also held within an epoxy-sealed room, meaning any leakage into the surrounding area is also unlikely.

Commissioners asked Curtis about the impact an oil and lube service would have on traffic in the area. He responded that approximately 10 to 15 percent of the customer volume at his Norwalk location currently utilizes that service, and the store as a whole only saw a one to two percent increase in traffic from it.

He believes his Wilton location could easily sustain a similar increase without impacting the surrounding area. He pointed out that detailing services, which the quick lube would be replacing, actually take longer than oil changes typically do.

Curtis' attorney, Clarissa Cannavino, said that the business was granted a special permit in 2001 for a car wash. Now that Route 7 is fully open, she said she believes the traffic impact of the oil and lube service would be even less.

"Now that [Route 7] is a four-lane highway, the traffic would see a negligible increase," she said.