New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Splash Car Wash expanding to Milford
MILFORD — Residents will soon have a new option to keep their cars looking spiffy, with the Planning and Zoning Board approving plans for a new Splash Car Wash at 1552 Boston Post Road.
The plans call for a 6,250-square-foot building with up to six parking spaces. The business is expected to be operated by three or four employees. It will be open seven days a week, but typically not during early morning or late night hours.
“It’s a simple concept,” said Jay Frank, Splash Car Wash representative. “We will have automated pay stations and attendants working if someone has problems. We will have monthly passes where we can recognize a license plate of a vehicle, and free vacuums on the exterior for customers.”
Frank said the company has about two dozen locations, and is also currently building a location in East Haven, in addition to other potential new locations.
“We have around 20 or 25 locations around Connecticut, and we just got one approved in Derby,” he said.
The Milford location is an express car wash model that will not offer fullservice car washing, towel drying or window washing.
The 110,000-square-foot lot at the Milford location will allow plenty of space for cars to line up, Frank said. While Splash typically designs locations with room for 12 or 13 cars to queue, the Milford lot allows for up to 35, he said.
“So we have plenty of space for cars to queue up in line,” he said. “We have a 150-foot car wash tunnel proposed that we would be able to wash a lot of cars, and we don’t foresee any backup or traffic issues.”
Board member Robert Satti raised a concern about the exit, which is right across from Q-Garden Patio & Garden Center.
“I’m concerned about that left turn,” he said.
Darin Overton, project engineer, said the state DOT would have to approve the configuration for the entrance and exit since the business is on Route 1.
“We do expect times during operation when Post Road is busy, and there will be opportunities to make left turns when there are breaks because of the singles on either side,” he said. “There might be other situations where someone might sit there for a while and decide to go right because there is too much traffic.”