The Crestwood Board of Aldermen rejected a car wash proposed for Watson Road a second time last week, after initially rejecting it at the board’s March 26 meeting and then voting to reconsider the proposal.
Aldermen rejected an ordinance to grant car wash BriteWorX a conditional use permit, or CUP, to operate on Watson Road at the site of the former Sweet Tomatoes restaurant 6-2 at the April 9 meeting.
Ward 1 Aldermen Richard Breeding and Mimi Duncan; Ward 3 Aldermen Greg Hall and Jerry Miguel; Ward 2 Alderman Justin Charboneau and Ward 4 Alderman Ismaine Ayouaz voted against the proposal for the second time, while Ward 2 Alderman Mary Stadter and Ward 4 Alderman Tony Kennedy voted for the measure.
The initial vote on the CUP application at the March meeting was closer, failing 4-3. At that vote, Breeding voted for the proposal and Charboneau was absent, and all other aldermen voted the same way they did the second time.
During discussion before the April 9 vote, Miguel said that he visited the Columbia, Illinois, location and found the car wash to be very loud, using photos he had taken standing at various distances away from the car wash where he claimed he could still hear it operating.
Crestwood resident Kenneth Lange was skeptical during public comments.
“‘Main Street’ is a concept we should be using to attract higher and more competitive uses,” said Lange. “I’m anticipating and hoping for a very, very high-quality development (at the Crestwood mall site) and going with that high-quality development, the city needs to have high quality all along the ‘Main Street’ corridor.”
Duncan agreed in her statements.
“I think it’s quite a different locale than the spot currently on Watson,” said Duncan, who visited the BriteWorX location in Florissant. “This word was used a couple of times two weeks ago… and that word is patience. I think we have the ability to wait, and I don’t know if this is the right fit for that location.”
The board held two public hearings on the car wash at the March 26 meeting — one on the CUP for the car wash and the other on the site plan. While the CUP vote failed 4-3, the site plan was approved 5-2, prompting the motion to reconsider the application for the CUP at the April 9 board meeting.
