Car Wash Proposed For Vacant Bank Site On Route 206 In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A proposal to demolish a vacant bank building and replace it with a 13,995-foot car wash on Route 206 got an informal review from the Hillsborough Planning Board on Thursday.

Attorney Jennifer M. Knarich of Price, Meese, Schulman & D’Arminio represented the applicant Flagship NJ Propco LLC, which was doing business as Spotless Brands Car Wash.

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Knarich said the proposal includes parking, drive aisles, sidewalks, utility infrastructure, stormwater management, and other site improvements.

The property, at 425 Route 206, is a 3.2-acre site in the TC Town Center District and the Architectural and Site Design Overlay District.

Planning Board Chairman John Ciccarelli said the applicant was seeking an informal review of a conceptual plan tied to a Board of Adjustment application.

Planning Board Attorney Eric Bernstein said the use is not permitted in the zone and must be decided by the zoning board through a use variance.

Ciccarelli said planning staff had emphasized in a memo that the project is not a permitted use in the middle of the township's town center area.

Knarich told the board, "We know we have an uphill battle.""

Judy Knob, vice president of development and construction for Spotless Brands, described the company as a regional operator with 225 car washes nationwide.

"We think it's a great location. We think we're consistent with the uses in the surrounding area," said Knob. "What exists today, I think, is very compatible with us, and we feel that it would be a great site for us and a great redevelopment of a property that's, you know, blighted for lack of a better word."

She said the Hillsborough proposal is a "flex concept" in which all washing happens inside the building, and customers can either leave after the wash, use vacuum spaces, or return to the building for interior cleaning by employees.

Board member and Deputy Mayor Shawn Lipani asked about traffic circulation and vehicle stacking at the entrance.

Engineer Joseph Holzapfel said he did not have an exact queue count, but estimated five to six cars in each lane.

Knob said the company studied four similar locations and found that during peak hours, the maximum queue length was 12 vehicles.

"If we have 16 here, we wouldn't expect anything to get back to this intersection," she said.

Stormwater also drew attention from the board and a neighboring property owner.

Albert Internoscia, who said he owns 421 and 419 on Route 206 nearby, said, "My biggest concern is with the water runoff."

"I really have grave concerns about the water management. I hope you can, you know, alleviate those fears and tell me that what you're planning is more than just pushing the water off to the east," said Internoscia. "That you're going to be able to manage the increased amount of water runoff that's inevitable when you have such an increase in impervious surface."

Holzapfel said the project would add impervious coverage at the rear, but said most water would be handled on site through inlets, curb lines, and porous pavement, with discharge directed away from that neighboring property and toward the southern portion of the site. He said the project would also be required to reduce peak runoff flow.

At the close of the discussion, the Planning Board voted on a motion to acknowledge that they had conducted an informal review of the concept plan.

The application will next proceed through the Board of Adjustment process, where the use variance request will be considered.

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