Club Car Wash withdraws proposal to build near North Main and Auburn streets in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A proposal to build a car wash near the Auburn and Main streets roundabout has been withdrawn by the developer after it faced organized pushback from residents in the area.

Club Car Wash has rescinded its application for a zoning change and a special-use permit to operate on the northwest quadrant of the Auburn and Main streets intersection, according to Scott Capovilla, the city’s planning and zoning manager. The proposal was slated to go before the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals tonight, and objectors were planning to fill City Hall to stand in opposition to the plan.

A coalition of business owners, residents and neighborhood groups called Save Our North End was raising issue with the proposal over concerns about increased traffic at an already crash-prone intersection, the effect on property values, and the aesthetics of a car wash near Veterans Memorial Circle and Greenwood Cemetery, among other issues.

“It was a very unpopular proposal for many reasons, especially the impact to the area from a traffic standpoint, the aesthetics,” said Wendy Schneider, who was going to speak at tonight’s hearing on behalf of six legal objectors to the project. “It’s really a slap in the face to the Veterans Memorial that is immediately adjacent and the Greenwood Cemetery. I have relatives who are buried there and I was concerned about that aspect as well.”

The ZBA hearing is the first step in the process toward City Council approval. The project would have required a two-thirds majority vote of the City Council because of the legal objections obtained by six of the seven adjacent property owners, giving the developer a difficult route to passage, Schneider said.

The Save Our North End group had also gathered nearly 1,200 petition signatures against the car wash, launched a website and made yard signs and buttons to oppose the plan.

“This is an example of a community banding together to achieve positive outcomes,” Schneider said. “We want to see something that is purposeful there, that is congruent with the neighborhood (and) the history of the area.”

The property is owned by Dyn Auburn LLC, a subsidiary of First Midwest Group.

Schneider said the group wants to work with the landowner in the future on potential developments.

“There isn’t just going to be an empty lot there forever. We want to make sure we understand what options are there and to make it a win-win for everyone,” she said. “So this is maybe just a starting point. We’re going to have a positive outcome and hopefully we can work together and have a great outcome for the area.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas