Drivers on Mooretown Road will be able to stop and get their car washed in the future.
The York County Board of Supervisors recently approved a special use permit for Tidal Wave Auto Spa at 6640 Mooretown Road.
Tidal Wave Auto Spa is a chain of express car wash locations headquartered in Georgia. Marty Murphy, a representative of the company, called the locations the “Chick-fil-A of the car wash industry,” meaning that while it is express, it is still high-quality.
The spa is set near the Victory Village shopping center which was described by Tim Cross, deputy director of planning and development for the county, as a struggling retail center.
“We think this is a good fit for this location,” Cross said. “There are no other car washes along the Mooretown Road corridor, [and] we do think it would be good to attract business in the shopping center.”
The special use permit grants the business the ability to build a 3,450-square-foot structure with a 120-foot-long car wash tunnel on 1.3 acres.
In August, the county’s planning commission recommended the permit for approval.
Mooretown Road falls under greenbelt regulations, which means there is a required 45-foot landscape buffer.
“Ordinarily we talk about preserving vegetation but [there’s] not a lot out there so they would be planting additional landscaping to meet the required ratios,” Cross said.
Murphy said one of the aspects that sets Tidal Wave locations apart is its attention to detail, especially with landscaping. He said the company owner, Scott Blackstock, prides himself on creating a “country club” feel at each location.
Murphy added that locations even go so far as to place landscaping around the dumpsters so they are less noticeable.
At other locations — from Texas to North Carolina — each car wash typically employs about eight to 15 people and is open seven days a week. Each location also takes part in “Fundraising Friday” every third Friday of the month, where all proceeds of that day are contributed to a local charity.
“Mr. Blackstock is…a very competitive gentleman,” Murphy said. “[He] wants everyone to know that he is the best in this industry…because of the way washes are operated, the way they are built…[It’s] to create the nicest-looking business and maintain that nicest-looking business which sets us apart from other car washes.”
