New Car Wash, Restaurants Approved For 611 Corridor In Doylestown

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Two new commercial improvements are coming to the busy Route 611 corridor in Doylestown Township.

On Tuesday night, the board of supervisors approved preliminary as final plans for a car wash at 1796 Easton Road and the redevelopment of the former Applebee’s site into three restaurant pad sites at the Barn Plaza.

The supervisors first approved the construction of the new car wash to be built at the site of an aging strip shopping center just south of Edison- Furlong Road on southbound Route 611.

Jim and Susan Lonergan of Doylestown, the equitable owners of 1796 Easton Road, will demolish the existing 13,000-square-foot shopping center, and redevelop the property with a 5,000 square foot state-of-the-art drive-through car wash.

An existing Midas Muffler Shop and a 7-11 convenience store would remain.

"Everyone knows that property. It's an eyesore and we want to clean it up," Jim Lonergan told the zoning board last summer. "It's going to be a pleasant place to visit."

Over the past four years, Jim Lonergan and his wife have been searching for a property in Bucks and Montgomery counties that could accommodate a car wash use.

"To build a car wash you need a property that meets certain requirements. We have looked at a lot of properties. The highest rating we ever came up with was a B. We decided we weren't going to build on a property unless it was at least an A-minus or better. This property came back with an A rating. We're very excited about that."

The 1776 Shopping Center at Route 611 and Edison Road currently houses Lil Dom's Pizzeria, Miles City Smoke and Vape Shop, a vacuum store and a cigar store. (photo by Jeff Werner)

So why a car wash?

Lonergan, who has lived in the Doylestown area for 30 years, said he likes a clean car.

"I wash my car at home. I also use the car washes here. They do an okay job, but not a great job. I get frustrated when I get home and the car is still dirty," he said. "We want to build a beautiful car wash. We want to build a state-of-the-art car wash. And we want it for the community so when you come out of that car wash the car is clean, it's shiny, it's dry. And it's a good wash. We've researched what it takes to build a state-of-the-art car wash and that's what we're going to do."

The car wash would be fully automated allowing the customer to pull up to a pay station, ride through the car wash tunnel, and then either leave the property or pull around to a vacuum farm and use one of 16 vacuums that are provided for any interior cleaning.

"We want it to be something for the community so when people come in our employees are going to be in uniform. They are going to be polite. They are going to introduce themselves. They are going to be pleasant. It's not just something you're going to drive through. We want to build the best car wash for the community," said Lonergan.

In addition to approving the car wash, the supervisors gave their final approval to the demolition and redevelopment of the former Applebee’s restaurant at the nearby Barn Plaza.

The restaurant will be replaced by a new building that will house three restaurant uses, including one with drive-through service.

The former Applebee's store will be demolished and replaced by a new building that will house three restaurant uses, including one with drive-through service. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

Among the new tenants will be First Watch, a Florida-based daytime dining concept serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch items

Also as part of its phase one application, Brixmor will be converting a small triangle-shaped piece of land into an outdoor dining patio at the new Honeygrow restaurant at the northern end of the center.

After securing land development approvals for the former Applebee’s site, Brixmor will be returning to the planning commission and the board of supervisors with a more extensive redevelopment application for the former Barn Plaza cinema.

Brixmor will be seeking to demolish the former Regal Cinema and to build four new multi-tenant buildings in its place that will house restaurant, retail and medical office uses.

Regal closed its Barn Plaza cinema in early 2023 after the nationwide movie theater chain declared bankruptcy and began shutting down theaters across the nation. At about the same time the plaza ost its stand-alone Applebee’s restaurant, which suddenly closed in May.

At the former Regal site, three new one story buildings are envisioned - 7,600 square feet of medical office space, 24,000 square feet of retail space, and 9,000 square feet of restaurant space.

The redevelopment is part of a broader multi-million-dollar project that also includes a major upgrade to the facade of the shopping center and the construction of a new Whole Foods Store and Barnes and Noble at the former site of Marshall's and Home Goods.

The Barn Plaza is also home to a Kohl’s Department, Gerhard’s Appliances, Douglas Jewelers, Piccolo Trattoria, Pure Barre, Mattress Firm, and Club Pilates.