Aurora council halts plans for QT car wash near local car wash

A proposed QuikTrip car wash at East Colfax and Airport Boulevard hit a roadblock Monday after a late-night Aurora City Council hearing. Gleam Car Wash, a small business that hires neurodiverse workers, sits just down the road.

Last year, Aurora's Planning Commission approved QuikTrip's conditional use request for the car wash. Aurora City Council called up that decision, a move that requires a public hearing, where the council decides whether to uphold or overturn the approval. 

Monday, councilmembers voted to uphold the conditional use for a car wash at the site, but then voted to deny the project's site plan. It was a decision that effectively paused the proposal and sent QuikTrip back to the drawing board.

For Gleam, the denial is being celebrated as a win.

"I'm feeling very excited and really, really happy that the city council decided to intervene and vote no to a site plan," said Emilie Baratta, founder and manager of Gleam.

Gleam, a locally owned wash that has become known for employing neurodiverse workers, sits about a half-mile from the QuikTrip property and within a short stretch of East Colfax. Baratta has said the corridor is saturated and that the addition of another tunnel wash could threaten jobs at Gleam.

She thinks community members played a role in Monday's decision, waiting hours to speak during the public hearing. Baratta was blown away as they lined up to share why they believe Gleam's mission is worth protecting.

"The participation of the public and their support of our business model, it brings tears to my eyes," Baratta said. "People stay until one o'clock in the morning to say, 'Hey, we're on the side of this small business that's trying to do right by the community.' That is just heartwarming."

Aurora City Attorney Pete Schulte said Monday's hearing was a rare procedural move that lets the council review an appeal of the Planning and Zoning Commission's decision.

Schulte explained that the council was weighing two separate items under Aurora's Universal Development Ordinance: the conditional use (whether a car wash use can be allowed on that property) and the site plan (the design and layout details).

During the hearing, testimony included concerns about market saturation and business competition - but those factors are not part of the legal standard that the council must apply.

Schulte said the conditional use standard is more difficult to deny when planning staff recommends approval, but the site plan involves more subjective factors, like potential effects on neighboring properties.

The site plan debate centered on how the car wash would fit on the corner property, including concerns raised in discussion about how the wash is situated and possible impacts like blower noise.

The site plan denial does not end the car wash idea entirely, but it resets the process.

QuikTrip can submit a new site plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission to meet the criteria the council indicated it believed weren't satisfied.

Baratta says the community will now be watching more closely if QuikTrip returns with revisions.

Schulte said the controversy could fuel future conversations about whether Aurora should consider updating its development rules - similar to how some cities regulate spacing and concentration for certain uses. 

For now, Gleam says the site plan denial gives the business time and a signal that public involvement matters.