ROCK HILL—Could Rock Hill soon see a car wash set up shop along Rock Hill Drive next door to Brew?

According to a revised site plan submitted by Zass Rock Hill, LLC, to the Thompson Planning Board, it’s possible.

The revised site plan is to convert the property from selling cars as Empire State Muscle Cars to a drive-thru car wash. 

The project will add an overhang to the building, and the parking lot will be paved and striped; currently, it’s dirt and crushed rock. 

The car wash will only be an exterior car wash and will be pulled along a conveyor. 

The interior will be renovated to install an automatic auto car wash. It will have vacuums, and a car kiosk will be added to the parking area according to the Short Environmental Assessment Form submitted to the Thompson Planning Board. 

According to Mercurio, Norton, Tarolli, Marshall Engineering and Land Surveying (MNTM), the estimated water usage for each wash will range from 40-70 gallons, and the owner says that an average of 165 washes could happen per day, which means they estimate sewer demands could be a little over 9,000 gallons a day. 

Cleaning chemicals will be used, and according to the engineering memo, an average of 2.7 to 3.6 gallons a day will be used during the process of washing cars. 

The chemicals used are for ceramic coating, hot wax, tire shine, sealer wax, foam soap, and drying agents, among other washing agents.  

The Superintendent of Water and Sewer in Thompson, Michael Messenger, will review the memos. 

Furthermore, the capacity pump station connected to the site must be evaluated.  

The applicant, Abhishel Patel, states that if the pump station could not handle the flow, he would need to install a water recycler for the car wash. 

Patel said they would rather not due to the high cost of installing a water recycling system. 

The planning board approved the site plan under the contingent that Messenger reviews the flow to the site, and the impact of neighboring wells will need to be evaluated. 

According to the planning board legal consultant Paula Kay, the new site plan will not trigger a GML-239, which means Sullivan County would need to review the site plan because it is an existing structure and the use is changing.