The Royersford Borough Council on Feb. 24 voted to accept the Royersford Zoning Hearing Board’s decision granting zoning relief for a proposed Flagship Car Wash at the former Rite Aid property at 820 Main Street.
The vote formalizes the zoning hearing board’s Jan. 20 approval of a special exception and multiple variances that will allow the vacant pharmacy building to be converted into a full-service car wash. The zoning hearing board granted all requested relief except one variance related to fencing height.
What Was Approved
The 1.97-acre property, located at the intersection of Main Street, Lewis Road and Walnut Street in the borough’s Highway Business District, has been vacant since Rite Aid closed. The applicant, Flagship Carwash, plans to reuse the existing 14,700-square-foot building rather than demolish and rebuild.
The proposal includes:
- A traditional “wet” conveyor car wash tunnel where customers remain in their vehicles
- Two interior “dry belt” lanes where employees clean vehicle interiors
- Fourteen exterior vacuum stations
- Twelve parking spaces intended for employees
- Modifications to existing driveways to manage circulation
The applicant’s representatives argued that the car wash use was most comparable to a gasoline service station under the borough code. The zoning hearing board accepted this comparison, approving the use as a special exception.
Among the variances granted were relief related to:
- Reduced off-street parking (12 spaces proposed instead of the 58 spaces otherwise required under a general retail parking formula)
- Allowing parking in front-yard areas due to the property’s three-road frontage
- Continuing an existing nonconforming buffer along Lewis Road
- Waiving a loading space requirement, as deliveries to the site are expected to be made via box truck rather than with a larger tractor-trailer
- Extending the timeframe to obtain building permits from six months to two years
- Dimensional relief tied to reuse of the existing Rite Aid building
The board denied a variance request that would have allowed an eight-foot fence in all yard areas. Under borough code, fencing is limited to four feet in front yards and six feet elsewhere. Although fencing had been discussed during planning review, no fence is currently proposed.
Reuse of Existing Site
During the Jan. 20 hearing, the applicant’s engineer testified that the project would largely reuse existing infrastructure, including the building footprint, parking areas, utilities, and stormwater facilities. The drive-through facility associated with the former pharmacy would be removed.
Impervious coverage on the site would decrease from approximately 67 percent to 62 percent, according to testimony, due to minor pavement changes.
The property is served by public water and sewer. The car wash will include a water reclamation system designed to recycle a portion of wash water before discharge into the sanitary sewer system.
Traffic and Circulation
The proposal maintains three access points, one on each bordering road. Under the plan:
- The Main Street driveway would function as an entrance only
- The Walnut Street driveway would serve as an exit only
- The Lewis Road driveway would remain open for both ingress and egress
Representatives testified that traffic studies were conducted at similar Flagship locations to assess queue lengths and vehicle stacking. The applicant stated it does not anticipate vehicles backing onto public roadways and indicated employees would monitor traffic flow on-site.
Additional traffic review will occur during the borough’s land development process and through PennDOT permitting.
Neighborhood Concerns and Buffers
The property borders residential uses to the rear. Testimony indicated that a buffer exceeding 10 feet already exists along that boundary, and additional landscaping could be added to fill gaps in existing vegetation.
Zoning board members asked questions about vacuum noise, traffic flow, and potential queuing near Lewis Road. The applicant stated vacuum equipment would use a centralized motor system housed within an enclosure and would comply with borough noise regulations. Vacuum operations would cease when the business closes.
Operating hours are proposed as 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.
What Happens Next
Although zoning relief has been granted and accepted by borough council, the project must still proceed through land development review. That process will address detailed engineering, stormwater verification, lighting plans, landscaping, and additional traffic approvals.
The two-year extension granted by the zoning hearing board allows the applicant additional time to secure those approvals and obtain building permits.
If constructed, the project would convert a large vacant commercial property in Royersford into an active use, replacing the former Rite Aid with a car wash facility designed to serve both drive-through and interior-cleaning customers.
