Clean Express car wash is set to open one of its automatic car washes at the Belle Oaks Marketplace development on Richmond and Wilson roads after receiving the go-ahead from Richmond Heights Planning Commission. Economic Development Director Chelsey Kovar asked Joe Bertucci, a representative of Clean Express attending the Dec. 10 meeting, if they were going to be building more car washes on eastside. “Are you going to be intentional about the communities you expand into so that communities like ours don’t have a Clean car wash at every adjacent community two miles away,” Kovar asked. “Or do you guys like to kind of cluster them that way? Is it a business practice?” Bertucci responded that they were not trying to build car washes close together and were cognizant of where competitors were in nearby cities. Building Commissioner Bill Gallagher said during the meeting that the conditional use permit is being issued because council had previously amended the B-2 zoning district around Belle Oaks Marketplace to allow the carwash. He said that because of the way the city amended the code, it would prevent more car washes from being built, in that area in the future without city approval. “You remember recently that City Council had an amendment to the Belle Oaks (zoning district) to allow the use of car washes, in particular, automatic car washes,” Gallagher said. “Our city ordinances only allow the old spray and hand-dry types. This is allowing for an update, but as part of the city ordinances… They need to be conditionally approved by the planning commission. “So, they cannot build them wherever they want in the community, it’s only in the B-2 district and they only have one for every 1,500 square feet, which means there is no chance of having a second car wash in that area,” he added. “A few months, if you remember, the car wash they were trying to put across the street next to the church, it takes care of that problem because it won’t be something that we need to deal with anymore.” According to the Clean Express website, the company planned to open over five new washes in 2024, with over 100 locations currently operating.