Arroyo Grande is making more room for tourists with the Planning Commission’s unanimous approval of a car wash and hotel on a 1.57-acre vacant lot.
The triangular site on the corner of North Halcyon Road and El Camino Real bound by Faeh Avenue to the south is composed of three separate parcels zoned as highway mixed use, which means the site needs to provide a variety of visitor-serving and auto-related uses, according to Nov. 19 staff report.
Arroyo Grande Planning Manager Andrew Perez told planning commissioners that the hotel proposes to have 22 rooms, a lobby, a swimming pool, and a 24-space parking lot.
“Hotel guests would access the parking lot for the hotel via Faeh Avenue into a parking lot with a one-way entrance driveway and then egress from that parking lot through the one way to the western side,” he said.
The car wash would operate independently on the other side of the hotel, with a car wash tunnel and exit into a self-service vacuum area with 18 parking spots.
One Arroyo Grande resident who lives next to Faeh Avenue said it was a promising project but having only 24 parking spots could bring an overload of guests’ cars onto the street.
“Oftentimes there’s more than one car per room, and where are those people going to park? They’re going to park on Faeh Avenue or up on North Alpine Street,” she said. “So, I’m just a little concerned about that.”
Other residents were concerned about increased noise from the car wash.
Bob Diaz, owner of another local car wash, said he knows from experience that the blow dryers are “extremely loud for a long distance” and thinks the noise mixed in with the large number of car washes already available in the Five Cities area doesn’t warrant a new one to be added.
“Surf Through Car Wash, … the Pismo Beach Planning Commission approved their car wash project at the corner of Branch and Oak Park. So, they’re going to be in, and that’s nine, and if you approve this project, it will be 10,” resident Bart De Vanny said, adding to Diaz’s comments.
According to the staff report, a noise and groundborne vibration impact analysis was prepared by Ambient Quality and Noise Consulting to identify and evaluate noise impacts associated with the area.
The study states that acceptable noise levels, which are intended to prevent noise-related impacts that may be detrimental to the public health, welfare, and safety of a community, cannot exceed 70 decibels between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. and cannot exceed 65 decibels during the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
For this project site, significant noise sources are projected to come from the car wash tunnel, air conditioning units, and the self-service vacuum area. But the noise is measured at an average of 57 to 65 decibels, falling in line with appropriate noise levels.
After a two-hour hearing, planning commissioners agreed this would be a promising enhancement to the city.
Commissioner Catherine Sackrison said she lives by this proposed site and drives by it daily. She said that she would love to see a project like this go into that empty lot.
“I don’t believe that we can grow as a community if we turn down every single application for that lot. Something needs to go in,” she said. “If there were other applicants suggesting other things that we liked better, great, but this is what’s available now, and they’ve been consistent, they’re still fighting, and I think it’s actually a very nice-looking plan.” Δ
This article appears in Nov 28 – Dec 8, 2024.