Board OKs car wash plans
Plans for a new drive-thru car wash on Bethlehem Pike in Hatfield have now been approved.
“It was a much better use than having a vacant location, and it was kind of a no-brainer, as long as they met all of our regulations,” said board of commissioners’ President Tom Zipfel.
Earlier this month, township officials saw the proposed plans for a car wash at 944 Bethlehem Pike, just east of Line Lexington Road on a parcel between Bethlehem Pike (Route 309) and Old Bethlehem Pike. The developer owns a similar drive-through car wash in Upper Merion Township, and proposed to demolish the existing adult bookstore on the site and build a new, fully automated, double-bay drive-thru car wash.
“Between now and then, we have had a resolution prepared, and we have taken care of all the other red tape that goes along with it, so at this point the resolution is ready for the board to act,” said Planning and Zoning Officer Ken Amey.
A driveway running around the car wash would provide space for a dozen cars to line up, and part of Bethlehem Pike would be widened to add a deceleration lane for drivers turning in.
“It’s not uncommon that when you have a use like that, especially on the weekend and during the summer, there’s going to be a large number of people that want to use that service,” Zipfel said. “If they all come in at the same time, we wouldn’t want a turn lane that would back up onto the roadway.”
The station would likely be open 24-7, with one employee on site to answer questions or handle problems. The applicant had also asked if the township would require that sidewalks be installed on either side of the new car wash, and the answer that came back from staff was a no.
“They raised the question of whether there was connector sidewalks, or exiting sidewalks they would connect, and there are not. And it’s not a highly trafficked pedestrian location on either side, so it’s been determined that they don’t have to,” Zipfel said.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the car wash land development plan, as well as several other items. Bids were awarded for a total of eight different supplies, mostly chemicals used by the Hatfield Aquatic Center, but the board rejected bids for gasoline, propane gas, diesel fuel and heating oil.
“For whatever reason, this year we did not get as many bidders as we have in the past,” said Township Manager Aaron Bibro.
The lack of bidders may have been caused by winter weather or fluctuations in national and global markets, he said, and staff plan to “get more aggressive” in seeking out more vendors to bid on those supplies during a second round of bids.
“We’d like to do it again, hopefully get more prices, and be back next month with where those prices came in,” Bibro said.
The board also approved a payment for work done on rebuilding the Walnut Street bridge, and Bibro said contractors are still on target to have repairs done and the bridge open by late summer. The board also approved a settlement agreement with the owners of 2151 Koffel Road; the property’s assessment had been challenged by the North Penn School District, and extended conditional offers of employment to two applicants for vacant police officer positions.
Hatfield’s board next meets at 7:30 p.m. on April 12 at the township administration building, 1950 School Road. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www.HatfieldTownship.org or follow @HatfieldPA on Twitter.