El Car Wash Proposal Coming to Ferndale Planning Commission
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 14, 2025)
Ferndale, MI – Could El Car Wash come to Ferndale?
Developers have submitted a proposal to the Planning Commission to build a car wash at 2230 Woodward Avenue, a property that currently has a long-vacant Tim Horton’s building.
El Car Wash began in Florida and in recent years has been expanding in Michigan. Brighton, Madison Heights and Warren locations are up and running. Novi and Sterling Heights locations are in progress. Former Detroit Lions star Barry Sanders is part of the El Car Wash ownership team, making an appearance at the opening of the Madison Heights location. El Car Wash is the official car wash of the Detroit Lions.
The project calls for a two-story building, as required by Ferndale’s Zoning laws for that area. The ground floor would have the “tunnel” for cars to drive through, while the upstairs would be offices. The entrance would be on College Street, which is a requirement of the City and of MDOT. The facility is designed to capture the water to be filtered and re-used, and would have a large retaining tank below to prevent overwhelming the sewer system.
The building would be closest to Woodward, with a series of vacuums at the rear, as well as stacking lanes for vehicles.
The developer first presented the concept to the Ferndale Planning Commission in 2023, though not for consideration only a preliminary discussion. There was also a community meeting held at the time, across the street at Ferndale First United Methodist.
During the meeting neighbors expressed objections to the project. And now as it comes up for Planning Commission consideration, the opposition is again organizing.
An online petition at change.org has over 300 signatures at the time of publishing. It outlines many of the concerns that were shared at the 2023 community meeting, stating:
“Here are some of our concerns:
- Greatly increased traffic along College St., University St., and the alley in between.
- Loud, high-pitched noise from vacuum cleaners.
- Pollution from the detergents and other chemicals that will be stored on-site and eventually drain into our sewers.
- It will make the area less walkable and separate the neighborhood from the downtown area.
- The size of the facility, the garish color, and the bright lights aren’t a good fit with the rest of the neighborhood (see rendering above).
- Property values will drop due to the issues above.”
The project does not require any variances, nor does it qualify for any incentives, but it does require a Special Land Use Permit. The Planning Commission is expected to make a recommendation either in favor of the project or against it, while City Council makes the final decision. Public input can be shared at both the Planning Commission and City Council meetings.
The proposal was originally set for Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting, however it has been moved up to the Aug 20 meeting due to a family emergency of one of the presenters.
Previous story: https://oaklandcounty115.com/2023/08/01/ferndale-to-consider-car-wash-on-woodward/
