The Future of Automotive Businesses on Springfield Avenue

In May, a new business came to Springfield Avenue with little fanfare in the local press. Wheel Concepts 3 is, according to co-owner Frank B., a one-stop-shop for all your automotive needs: rims, tires, car wash, detailing, you name it. 

The shop at 1830 Springfield Avenue is bright and clean, inside and out, and it's a welcome addition to the Avenue in a time of economic stress when some popular businesses have closed and other parcels on the Avenue await redevelopment.

Frank B.'s partner, Anthony Inglima, says that the location is terrific. He finds that Springfield Avenue is easy to get to for Maplewood residents but also gives them access to "a lot of people driving through from town to town."

While Wheel Concepts 3 (#1 and 2 are located in Staten Island and Ozone Park respectively) can get you the lowest prices on rims, their major draw is the $11 hand wash which comes complete with interior vacuuming and detailing. "Customers are job 1," said Inglima. "We want to make the customer happy."

Wheel Concepts 3, despite its success, is part of a dwindling cluster of auto-centric businesses in the central area of Maplewood's Springfield Avenue. In fact, the Township and the Springfield Avenue Partnership have been working to diversify the Avenue in that area with more retail and residential uses. Zoning changes over the last decade have limited the growth of automotive businesses—although only within the node centered around Prospect Street and Springfield Avenue.

Springfield Avenue Partnership executive director Beth Macdonald elaborated via e-mail: "In 2004, the Partnership lobbied the Township to change a portion of the District [meaning Springfield Avenue] from the designation of the highway business zone (HB District)  to a more pedestrian friendly retail zone, thus supporting the growing pedestrian feel of the naturally occurring denser in-fill section of the Avenue from the corners of Indiana Street to Yale street (it extends to Princeton Street on the South side). This two-block 'node'  now has separate zoning from the rest of the District and is designated as Retail Business District (RB District)."

The new zoning made several changes to the zoning code to support the growth of a traditional shopping district with salons, coffee shops, yoga studios and other retailers. These included disallowing service stations, sales of new and used automobiles and car washes. Explained Macdonald, "These uses are now conditional uses, meaning that if a potential or current business owner wished to pursue any of these uses, they must appear before the Zoning Board of Adjustment" to request relief.

Macdonald reported that the threshold to prove the beneficial qualities and gain "relief" or approval for such an automotive business in the retail district is quite high.

In 2007 , the Township extended the retail district to include three additional lots extending to Oberlin Street on the north and Burger King on the south side. This includes the Wheels Concept 3 site. "The reasoning," said Macdonald, "was that there is strong potential for the continuation of the type of growth seen in the existing RB District, including residential development."

Macdonald stressed that the automotive uses that are prohibited in this retail node are still allowed everywhere else on the Avenue, which runs 2.5 miles from border to border.

Although Wheels Concepts 3 is within the retail district, Town Code Official Bob Mittermaier has deemed it to be a retail use since it is a hand wash and not an automatic car wash.

Macdonald wished the owners continued success but says it is unlikely that the Partnership or the Town would support a return of a car dealership to the building since that would be against the zoning changes that the Partnership supported.