boardname
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Meeting Date: NOVEMBER 20, 2025
title
SPECIAL EXCEPTION - FESTIVAL CENTRE LLC
projectinfo
Request: Special Exception
P&Z# 25-17000011
Owner: Festival Centre, LLC
Project Location: 2690 W Sample Road
Folio Number: 484221070031, 484221070032, & 484221070033
Land Use Designation: C (Commercial)
Zoning District: B-3 (General Business) and B-3/PCI (General Business / Planned Commercial/Industrial)
Commission District: 4 (Beverly Perkins)
Agent: Janna Lhota
Project Planner: Scott Reale
otherinfo
Summary:
The Applicant Landowner is requesting SPECIAL EXCEPTION approval as required by Section 155.4219(H)(1) [Districts Where Permitted] of the Pompano Beach Zoning Code in order to utilize the subject property (Zoning District: B-3 and B-3/PCI) for a Car Wash.
The property is located at the southeast corner where NW 27th Avenue terminates at W Sample Road in Northwest Pompano.
ZONING REGULATIONS
155.4219. COMMERCIAL: MOTOR VEHICLE SALES AND SERVICE USES
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H. Car Wash or Auto Detailing
1. Districts Where Permitted
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RS-1 |
RS-2 |
RS-3 |
RS-4 |
RS-L |
RD-1 |
RM-7 |
RM-12 |
RM-20 |
RM-30 |
RM-45 |
MH-12 |
B-1 |
B-2 |
B-3 |
B-4 |
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S |
S |
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M-1 |
CR |
I-1 |
I-IX |
OIP |
M-2 |
TO |
PR |
CF |
PU |
T |
BP |
RPUD |
PCD |
PD-TO |
LAC |
PD-1 |
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P |
P |
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P |
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2. Definition
A car wash or auto detailing use is an establishment providing the washing of the exterior of vehicles where vehicles are manually driven or pulled by a conveyor through a system of rollers and/or brushes. Interior cleaning and/or drying may be conducted manually outdoors by vehicle operator or on-site attendants.
3. Standards
A car wash or auto detailing use shall comply with the following standards:
a. The use shall be designed to ensure proper functioning of the site as related to vehicle stacking, circulation, and turning movements.
b. No overhead doors shall face the front lot line.
c. Each lane shall be covered with a permanent canopy which shall have a maximum clearance height of 14 feet above grade, except where state or federal law requires a higher clearance.
d. Outdoor activity may occur during business hours; such activity shall be limited to the washing, drying and other superficial detailing of the interior/exterior of the vehicles in accordance with an approved site plan.
e. Screening of this use shall meet the general requirements of Section 155.4219.A. Standards Applicable to Motor Vehicle Sales, Service, and Storage Uses.
f. A drive-through that is incorporated as an essential function of the operation shall be permitted by right as accessory to the principal business. Therefore, this use shall not be subject to the accessory use standards for Drive-Through Services within Code Section 155.4303.I.
PROPERTY INFORMATION AND STAFF ANALYSIS
1. The subject property comprises three contiguous vacant lots within the Pompano Industrial Park Third Addition subdivision. The site was formerly occupied by a gas station and car wash, which ceased operations in 2017; the structures were subsequently demolished in 2022. The applicant, El Car Wash, proposes to develop a new ±5,000-square-foot, fully automatic car wash facility on the 1.14-acre site. The proposed development includes a conveyor-style wash tunnel, vehicle entry/loading area, office, restroom, equipment room, and associated site improvements such as parking, landscaping, and access drives.
2. Car wash facilities are permitted within the B-3 (General Business) zoning district only by Special Exception. This application seeks that approval. If granted, the applicant must subsequently obtain Site Plan and Building Design approvals. Site Plan application PZ #25-12000013 is scheduled for review by the Development Review Committee (DRC) on December 3, 2025.
3. The southernmost parcel is zoned B-3/PCI (General Business / Planned Commercial-Industrial). The existing PCI plan does not identify car washes as a permitted use. However, the conceptual site plan confines all car wash operations within the two parcels zoned exclusively B-3. The plan also proposes a dedicated right-turn lane along eastbound Sample Road, with right-turn-only egress to both Sample Road and NW 27th Avenue.
4. The applicant submitted conceptual site and landscape plans, a market feasibility analysis, and a traffic and queuing study. According to the traffic report, the site can accommodate queuing for up to sixteen (16) vehicles, ensuring adequate on-site stacking and preventing off-site impacts. The applicant’s narrative and market analysis suggest strong local demand for additional car wash services within the trade area.
5. The property is surrounded by vacant land and existing commercial or industrial uses, with no nearby residential development that could be adversely affected. Staff finds the proposed car wash to be compatible with the area’s established automotive and service-oriented character and supportive of the corridor’s ongoing redevelopment.
6. The applicant has addressed all thirteen (13) Special Exception review standards, including the specific criteria applicable to car wash facilities, as outlined in the City’s zoning regulations.
LAND USE PATTERNS
Subject property (Zoning District | Existing Use):
• B-3 and B-3/PCI | vacant land
Surrounding Properties (Zoning District | Existing Use):
• North: A-6/A-7 (unincorporated Broward County) | North Regional Landfill facility
• South: B-3/PCI | vacant/undeveloped land
• West: B-3 | Festival Marketplace outparcel (approved for RaceTrac Gas Station)
• East: B-3/PCI | vacant/undeveloped land
SPECIAL EXCEPTION REVIEW STANDARDS
A Special Exception shall be approved only on a finding that there is competent substantial evidence in the record that the Special Exception, as proposed:
1. Is consistent with the comprehensive plan;
2. Complies with all applicable zoning district standards;
3. Complies with all applicable use-specific standards in Article 4: Use Standards;
4. Avoids overburdening the available capacity of existing public facilities and services, including, but not limited to, streets and other transportation facilities, schools, potable water facilities, sewage disposal, stormwater management, and police and fire protection;
5. Is appropriate for its location and is compatible with the general character of neighboring lands and the uses permitted in the zoning district(s) of neighboring lands. Evidence for this standard shall include, but not be limited to, population density, intensity, character of activity, traffic and parking conditions and the number of similar uses or special exception uses in the neighborhood;
6. Avoids significant adverse odor, noise, glare, and vibration impacts on surrounding lands regarding refuse collection, service delivery, parking and loading, signs, lighting, and other site elements;
7. Adequately screens, buffers, or otherwise minimizes adverse visual impacts on neighboring lands;
8. Avoids significant deterioration of water and air resources, scenic resources, and other natural resources;
9. Maintains safe and convenient ingress and egress and traffic flow onto and through the site by vehicles and pedestrians, and safe road conditions around the site and neighborhood;
10. Allows for the protection of property values and the ability of neighboring lands to develop uses permitted in the zoning district;
11. Fulfills a demonstrated need for the public convenience and service of the population of the neighborhood for the special exception use with consideration given to the present availability of such uses;
12. Complies with all other relevant city, state and federal laws and regulations; and
13. For purposes of determining impacts on neighboring properties and/or the neighborhood, the terms neighboring properties and neighborhood shall include the area affected by the requested special exception, which is typically an area of 500 feet to a one-half mile radius from the subject site.
Staff Conditions:
Should the Board determine the applicant has provided competent, substantial evidence sufficient to satisfy the thirteen (13) Special Exception review standards, staff requests the Board include the following conditions as part of the Order:
1. The applicant shall obtain all necessary governmental permits and approvals, including, but not limited to Site Plan, Building Design, Zoning Use Certificate, and Business Tax Receipt prior to commencement of the use.
2. The development shall be constructed in substantial compliance with the conceptual site and landscape plans submitted as part of this application, subject to further technical review and approval during the Site Plan review process.
3. Prior to issuance of building permits, the applicant shall record a Unity of Title (or similar instrument acceptable to the City Attorney) unifying the three subject parcels into a single development site, ensuring the property functions as one lot for zoning and development purposes.