BALTIMORE -- After several months of complaints by the community, the lines of communication between Benson Rice, owner of the Whiz Car Wash in Loch Raven, Md., and area residents seem to be opening.
At a Baltimore County Zoning Special Exception Hearing last Wednesday, Rice presented updated plans for the carwash property.
All three properties are owned by Rice's mother, Sara, while Rice, president of the Whiz Car Wash Corp., owns seven carwashes.
A written decision is expected within two weeks.
At the hearing, Rice said he wanted to raze the Pit Stop, an unused oil-change facility on the property, and build a 2,016-square-foot, three-bay express detailing facility.
"I want to reintroduce services that were available when the business first started," he said. Whiz Car Wash plans were originally approved in 1958.
The service, which would only be available for Whiz Car Wash customers, would include wax, interior cleaning and super exterior cleaning, Rice said.
If approved, Rice said he hopes to have construction complete by winter.
The addition of the new facility would not change traffic patterns, he said.
Donna Spicer, executive director of the Loch Raven Community Council and Loch Raven Business Association, said at the hearing, "The community encourages Rice's plans and wants his business to grow and prosper." However, she said the groups do have concerns.
Spicer told Lawrence Schmidt, Baltimore County zoning commissioner, that residents have seen customers entering the carwash through the alley, jumping ahead of those who entered from the street.
Rice attributed the problem to confusion caused by an entrance sign.
Both the community and Rice believe some customers do not know if the sign is for the carwash. Rice said the placement and nature of the sign was dictated by a Baltimore County Code enforcement inspector.
Whiz Car Wash received warnings for illegal signs and a citation for cars blocking the sidewalk earlier this year. A decision by Stanley J. Schapiro, code enforcement officer, from a hearing held July 17 on the citation is still pending.
Spicer said several area residents have suggested painting arrows on the driveway to direct customers.
And Rice said, the State Highway Administration has agreed to widen the entrance and exit, making it easier for cars to enter and exit simultaneously.
Spicer said the community is concerned about the noise from the carwash, especially the vacuum cleaners. Rice favors replacing a wooden fence along the alley with a more permanent, soundproof barrier.
He is also agreeable to community suggestions to add a semi-permanent structure at the old entrance, which is farther north.
That entrance had to be abandoned when the carwash was cited for blocking the sidewalk with cars.
At the hearing, Schmidt said the proposed plans seem to provide a better situation for the both the community and Whiz Car Wash.
Source: The Jeffersonian