Traverse City commissioners weigh stricter rules for car-oriented businesses
City commissioners are poised to tighten review of car washes, drive-throughs and fuel stations, putting neighbors and city officials in a stronger position than developers.
Traverse City commissioners are set to decide Monday whether car washes, drive-throughs and service or fuel stations should face tougher approval rules, a move that would give neighbors and city officials more leverage over projects that have already proved contentious along East Front Street and Garfield Avenue.
The ordinance change would shift those autocentric uses from simple by-right approval to special land use permits, meaning each proposal would get a more visible public review before it could move ahead. City leaders would have more room to examine traffic, neighborhood fit, site design and other impacts, while business owners seeking to build would face a longer, more deliberate path through City Hall.
The proposal targets three zoning areas in particular: the C-2 Neighborhood Center District, the C-3 Community Center District and Development Districts. It would also amend Chapter 1364, the city’s special land use regulations, to consolidate the standards governing those uses. That makes the change more than a paperwork cleanup. It would alter how Traverse City handles some of the most car-dependent development in the city, especially in commercial corridors where traffic, access and curb cuts already shape daily life.
The debate has sharpened in recent weeks around East Front Street. On April 21, planning commissioners approved a Tommy’s Express car wash at East Front Street and Garfield Avenue on an 8-1 vote, even though several commissioners said they were doing so reluctantly because car washes were already allowed under the existing rules. Tommy’s Express later withdrew its plans, but the episode helped drive the push to rewrite the ordinance before another similar proposal advances.
A separate drive-through proposal is also part of the backdrop. Nicolet Bank is moving to rezone adjacent East Front Street properties near Garfield Avenue for a new drive-through branch, underscoring how quickly auto-oriented projects can surface in the city’s development pipeline. The city’s 2026 goals document shows planners had already flagged drive-thrus and other auto-centric uses for review, asking whether they belong in the proper zoning districts and whether the current standards are strong enough.
The Planning Commission held public hearings on the autocentric-use amendments on Tuesday, May 5, and the City Commission now holds the final say on the ordinance. If commissioners approve it Monday, future proposals for car washes, drive-throughs and service stations would face a more intensive review process, giving nearby residents and other affected property owners a larger role before those projects can move ahead.
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