Lake County Gazette

The Village of Mundelein Board of Trustees recently heard from a car wash developer who received backlash from residents speaking out against the project during the Jan. 9 meeting, and the board ultimately voted to deny the rezoning and special use permit for the project.

The proposal by Car Wash Pro Designers is for development at 301 and 319 East Route 83, which was presented by Alan Jacob at the meeting. Car Wash Pro Designers is a nationwide car wash consultant that services clients looking to open a car wash and help advise them on how to design and operate it and where to build.

“What we wanted to do here is build one for ourselves that would serve as kind of a showroom model for clients who want to build a car wash similar to it,” Jacob said. “They would come and visit it, so we would give it state-of-the-art equipment, training and everything.”

Jacob said they first met with the planning department in October 2021 to inquire about getting a special use permit. The department was initially in favor of the project, as it would fit within the comprehensive plan of the village, but they warned that there would be neighbors who would speak out against it. 

The company then engaged with the seller, who supported the application. They also spoke with the civil engineer, architect and more. They wanted to make sure they built the perfect site for the property, he said.

The developers would need parcels to be rezoned from residential to commercial for a special use permit to build the car wash. The plan included that no decibel rules would be violated and that they were within minimum water safety standards from the Environmental Protection Agency. The traffic study showed no major concerns, Jacob said.

The first hearing for the project took place on Aug. 30, 2022, with the planning commission, where they brought sound and traffic engineers, as well as the developer and a geotechnical person. They showed the commission that this was a “viable place to do the car wash, (where it) would be safe and not disturb the public.”

The meeting was a full house, and Jacob said it consisted of residents not residing in Mundelein, and that they were all from Long Grove. One major issue they came away with was the access. Before the planning commission voted, they decided to close one access to appease the abutting neighbor concerns. He said the planning commission gave them a wish list and said to come back with these aspects addressed.

Jacob pointed out that there was another car wash proposal in a nearby area, between the first and second meetings, and there was no fanfare regarding the project. He said there was little to no data was presented, and the board took answers at “face value.” In particular, this was about the traffic concerns.

“We feel there is a double standard here,” Jacob said, adding that this meeting now felt like an appeal to the board. “Although we showed up with all these studies, hundreds and hundreds of pages of studies from engineers of every  area of practice, we were held to a different standard.”

Trustee Jenny Berman Ross said that at some point the landowners are going to sell the property and it will be developed, so if people in the subdivision want to have control, they need to partner with someone who will buy it and build what is wanted.

“Because that way, with the exception of a couple of people who have residences, some of them who have commercial businesses out of those residences, that corridor is going to be commercial and light industrial down the road,” Berman Ross said at the meeting. “Whether this is this particular proposal is approved or not. So it's just something to really think about. And it's something you need to really start planning for the future on what you're going to do about it."

Residents of the neighborhood surrounding the location felt that the car wash business would not fit with the culture of the community. There was also concern about the traffic flow and accidents in the area, which they have said are already high. Residents said they did not want to add additional congestion or potential traffic to the area.

While the planning and zoning commission were initially onboard with the proposal, the commission recently recommended a rejection of the proposal to the Village Board. Trustee Kerston Russell was the only board member in favor of the project. The board voted in favor of denying the rezoning and special use permit, which made all other motions regarding the proposal nullified and obsolete.