Residents split on proposed Elston-Central car wash; Ald. Gardiner yet to make decision on plans

by BRIAN NADIG

Residents had mixed views regarding a proposed car wash on the former Republic Bank/DiLeo’s restaurant site at Elston and Central avenues at a Nov. 12 community meeting hosted by Alderman James Gardiner (45th) at the Kolping Society, 5826 N. Elston Ave.

“We’re sick of looking at the (vacant) lot,” a resident of the 5600 block of North Parkside Avenue said. She said that a group of neighbors recently met and felt that a car wash would be “the lesser of two evils” when compared to a previous proposal to build a 40-unit apartment complex on the site where tenants could “look into our” backyards from their balconies. About 65 people attended the meeting.

A business has not operated on the site since around 2014 when the bank closed. It took several years to demolish the bank due to reported environmental issues. The bank’s basement still exists and last June the city issued a stop work order for reportedly pumping water out from the basement without permits.

The car wash project would cost an estimated $7 million.  It would be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. six days a week, with a 5 p.m. closing on Sundays.

Another Parkside resident said that it might be better to wait for a better proposal to come along. “It’s going to be difficult to get rid of a car wash” once it opens, the resident said, adding that a car wash is not a good fit for a neighborhood where a lot of families live.

Several traffic concerns were raised at the meeting, as one resident said that the rush-hour backup on southbound Central Avenue forces Indian Woods residents to cut through the Colletti’s restaurant parking lot to leave their neighborhood.

“It backs up to the railroad tracks … in Edgebrook,” another resident said.

Some residents recommended that rush-hour parking on Central just south of Elston Avenue be eliminated so that there would be less of a bottleneck as cars in the right lane merge to the left.

Other residents expressed pedestrian concerns about the project because children from the Indian Woods community have to cross Elston to get to Farnsworth School.

One homeowner recommended that city acquire the parcel and turn it into a park because the nearest parks require children to cross either Elston or Milwaukee Avenue.

“Regardless of what goes there traffic is going to be a challenge,” Gardiner said, adding that he would ask the city Department of Transportation look into possible traffic and pedestrian safety improvements.

The project requires the property to be rezoned from B3-1 to C1-2. Project developer Aqueel Ahmed said that he would agree to have the zoning revert back to B3-1 once the wash was built.

The main entrance and exit for the car wash would be on Elston, with no access from Central. Secondary driveways are planned for Parkside Avenue and Seminole Seminole Street. The Seminole driveway would be primarily used for problematic vehicles, for example if they are too big for the wash or have a flat tire, Ahmed said. The Parkside driveway would be kept closed except for emergencies or a traffic backup in the lot, he said

Both the Gladstone Park Neighborhood Association and Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce voiced support for the proposal.

Chamber president Dan Ciolino said that Ahmed owns the Nappa Car Wash, 6140 N. Pulaski Road, and the 39th Ward aldermanic office reports that it has received no complaints about the business. The car wash is located across from a senior living facility, he said. He also is the owner of Euro Collision auto body shops. 

At this time there is not another option for the parcel, and the community already has voiced concerns about dense residential development on the site, Ciolino said.

The project would keep the corner “visible,” as the car wash would be set back from the intersection, Ciolino said in reference to concerns that a previously proposed apartment building would block sight lines for drivers turning.

Association treasurer Mark DeVience said that while the proposal raises some concerns, it would bring much needed development to a vacant site that has become an eyesore. “I’m sure getting tired of looking at that vacant lot,” he said.

Ahmed said that the car wash would have about seven or eight “peak days” a year, such as when drivers need to wash away salt from their car in the winter. He said evening rush hour tends to be a time when customers avoid the car wash because of the heavy traffic.

One resident said that there are seven car washes within 1 1/2 miles of the site.

Gardiner said after the meeting that he has not made a decision on whether to support the proposal. He said that he will be reviewing residents’ comments and his meeting notes.

Editor’s note: Nadig Newspapers’ publisher Brian Nadig is an officer with the Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce. He recused himself from the chamber board’s vote on the car wash proposal.

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