TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Anthea Gianniotes, Development Services Director
THROUGH: Terrence R. Moore, ICMA-CM
DATE: February 3, 2026
Title
RESOLUTION NO. 10-26: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA, REVERSING THE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD’S RECOMMENDATION TO DENY A LEVEL 4 SITE PLAN APPLICATION WITH ARCHITECTURAL ELEVATIONS, LANDSCAPE PLAN AND CONDITIONAL USE REQUEST TO ALLOW A 4,207 SQUARE FOOT CAR WASH AT 14145 SOUTH MILITARY TRAIL AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED HEREIN; APPROVING A CONDITIONAL USE TO ALLOW AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH; APPROVING A LEVEL 4 SITE PLAN WITH ARCHITECTURAL ELEVATIONS AND LANDSCAPE PLAN FOR SAID PROPERTY; PROVIDING A CONFLICTS CLAUSE, AND A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. (QUASI-JUDICIAL)
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Review and consider Resolution No. 10-26, overruling the decision of the Planning and Zoning Board for a Level 4 Site Plan and Conditional Use to construct a 4,207 square foot automatic car wash facility at the property located at 14145 S. Military Trial.
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Background:
The subject property is a vacant, undeveloped 0.99-acre parcel located at 14145 S. Military Trail, situated at the southwest corner of S. Military Trial and Conklin Drive, between Lake Ida and West Atlantic Avenue. The property is zoned General Commercial (GC) with an underlying land use designation of GC. Fazio Consulting, LLC ("Applicant") submitted a Level 4 Site Plan and Conditional Use application seeking approval to establish an automatic car wash facility between the hours of 7:00 am until 9:00 pm daily. The proposed car wash features a one-story, 2,819 square-foot car wash tunnel equipped with 10 (15 hp) dryer blowers with silencers, two (30 hp) vacuum producers, and an air system blower. Additionally, there is a proposed 1,388 square-foot space attached to the car wash tunnel containing mechanical equipment, storage, restrooms, a breakroom, and office space. The proposal also includes 19 parking spaces, each equipped with high-power vacuums as an extension of the car wash service.
Within the GC zoning district, a car wash facility is listed as a conditional use subject to positive findings to Land Development Regulation (LDR) Section 2.4.6(A)(5), which requires that the City Commission determine that the proposed use will not:
(a) Have a significantly detrimental effect upon the stability of the neighborhood within which it will be located.
(b) Hinder development or redevelopment of nearby properties.
Conditional uses are land uses that may not be inherently appropriate in all instances with the zoning district, but may be approved at the discretion of the reviewing body if it is determined that the use satisfies the purposes of the zoning ordinance and that site specific conditions can mitigate potential incompatibilities or adverse impacts to surrounding uses.
On November 17, 2025, the Planning and Zoning Board, acting as the Local Planning Agency for the City of Delray Beach, considered the application at a public hearing and voted 5 to 2 to deny the Level 4 Site Plan, including a Conditional Use request to establish an automatic car wash facility (Dedrick Straghn and Roger Cope dissenting).
The more significant board concerns were the potential traffic impacts, noise levels, and overall compatibility with the surrounding residential uses, some of which are within the municipal boundary, and all of which are within the annexation area.
Subsequently, on November 25, 2025, the Applicant filed a request to appeal the conditional use decision.
On December 17, 2025, the Applicant filed a request for postponement of the appeal hearing on January 20, 2026, to the next City Commission hearing in February. The request was to allow additional time to update the traffic analysis and noise study.
On January 12, 2026, the Applicant submitted supplemental materials that contained a needs study, a signal warrant and traffic operations analysis and a updated noise study (attached).
The signal warrant and traffic operations analysis concludes that the projected volumes do not currently justify the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Conklin Drive and S. Military Trail. The analysis further indicates that Conklin Drive experiences an average cumulative volume of 176 vehicle trips during a12-hour turning movement count. Based on the Palm Beach County Traffic Performance Standard (TPS) review, the proposed single car wash tunnel is anticipated to generate approximately 166 new daily trips. Consequently, the projected traffic volume on Conklin Drive would effectively double as a result of the proposed development.
The revised noise analysis demonstrates that eliminating three dryer blowers with silencers yields an approximate 1-decibel reduction in predicted noise levels. From an acoustical standpoint, this change represents a negligible reduction and does not materially alter the noise environment at nearby receptors.
The attached Staff Report provides a full analysis of the required findings and applicable policies for consideration for the conditional use, including the supplemental materials submitted by the Applicant.
City Attorney Review:
Resolution No. 10-26 was approved as to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
N/A
Timing of Request:
Pursuant to LDR Section 2.4.7(E)(3)(c), the hearing of an appeal shall be held no more than 60 calendar from the date of the City Clerk’s receipt of the request to appeal, which was January 20, 2026. On December 17, 2025, the Applicant filed a request for postponement of the appeal hearing.