The Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission is not interested in seeing another car wash come into the city.

Developers came before commissioners Wednesday for a conceptual review of a car wash next to the Casey’s gas station at 4220 Route 14, just east of Route 31. No vote was taken on the discussion-only matter.

Civil engineer Michael Leidig of the Wisconsin-based consulting firm Robert E. Lee and Associates presented the idea to bring in a Club Car Wash, which uses a subscription-based model for customers. The Missouri-based company has more than 200 locations across the country, Leidig said.

The land, which previously was the home of Crystal Valley RV, is currently zoned for commercial use and would require a special-use permit for a car wash to operate there.

There are currently 11 car washes in Crystal Lake, with one more on the way that already has received zoning approval. Another car wash is currently being proposed off Route 176 by a different Casey’s gas station, City Planner Elizabeth Maxwell said.

One main concern from city staff is the amount of water these facilities use – about 400,000 to 600,000 gallons each month. By comparison, an average household of four people uses about 10,000 gallons monthly, according to city documents.

“These car washes are a significant impact, using potable water,” Maxwell said. “All of this has to go into the sanitary system. I know they say that they recycle a lot of their water ... but you can see the impact that car washes have on the city’s utilities.”

Club Car Wash reclaims 50% of the water it uses, Leidig said. He estimated that the business typically uses about 300,000 gallons monthly.

Another unfavorable factor is that car washes do not produce sales taxes for the city.

“The city does not gain a lot from having service uses in the commercial property,” Maxwell said. “Our budget is built around sales tax, so we always want some sales tax-producing uses as much as we can.”

Commissioners were all in agreement that they would prefer not to see another car wash come into the city, especially one at the proposed location. Although they thought the business model looked good, there isn’t a need for it.

“It just doesn’t feel like the right fit for this location,” Commissioner Jeff Greenman said.

Commissioner Scott Smith said he would rather wait for a retailer or restaurant to take over the property.

“I think we’re saturated when it comes to car wash uses,” he said.