New Car Wash Approved for Murrieta Hot Springs Road

It's just a car wash, right?

Not according to the owner/operator of an automated car wash slated to be built soon in Murrieta.

The Murrieta Planning Commission on Wednesday approved plans for the construction of Fast5Express, to be located at the southeast corner of Murrieta Hot Springs Road and Jackson Avenue.

This type of car wash—an automated tunnel accompanied by a row of self-service vacuums—is well established on the East Coast and is now entering the West Coast market, according to Thomas Utman, a Fast5Express partner who will own and operate the Murrieta location.

The business concept offers convenience to today's families, Utman said, in that it provides a quality wash without customers having to exit their vehicles.

The car wash, which Utman said he expects to be up and running by the end of this summer, will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Three employees, a greeter, an attendant and a manager, will be onsite during operating hours, he said.

Prior to seeking a conditional use permit from the Planning Commission, Utman and Senior Murrieta City Planner Dennis Watts worked together for months to address concerns such as noise, lighting, proximity to homes, traffic flow and aesthetics.

The property line is about 15 feet from homes in the Creekside Village development; however Utman said the car wash building is approximately 100 feet from the nearest homes.

“We had our noise study done twice because questions kept coming up,” Utman said. “We were very concerned about being good neighbors. We didn’t want any issues.”

Additionally, the motors of 21 self-service vacuums will be situated inside the building, with the tubes extending outside for use, Utman explained.

Traffic flow in and out of the business was also addressed, and prompted Utman to agree to a deceleration lane on eastbound Murrieta Hot Springs Road. A median will also be constructed on Jackson Avenue preventing left turns into business.

No members of the public spoke out against the project during Wednesday’s public hearing, or during a neighborhood meeting held in August.

Planning commissioners thanked city staff and the project applicant for their patience and perseverance.

“I think the project seems very well thought out,” said Anthony Casadonte, vice chair of the Planning Commission.

Planning Commissioner Ruthanne Taylor-Berger, who inquired about possible water runoff, was pleased to hear water would be recycled beneath the car wash for resuse.

The new business was approved 4-0, with Commission Gregory Goodman absent.

The approval is final unless it is appealed within 10 days, according to City Planner Cynthia Kinser.

In other business during Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners were given a first look at the city’s plan to address its housing needs between 2014 and 2021. The state requires all cities produce the plan, known as a housing element.

Working with a consulting firm, it has been determined that Murrieta needs to zone for 1,573 residential units to fill its quota under its Regional Housing Needs Assessment. Of those units, 627 parcels need to be zoned for residents with above moderate incomes; 289 for those with moderate incomes; 262 for those with low incomes; and 395 for residents who fall in the very low income-earners bracket. The income levels were determined using the city’s 2010 census data.

A public workshop is scheduled for March 6 to determine where those units will be zoned in order to meet a late-March deadline for submitting the housing plan to the state, according to city staff.