In order to pass town muster, the developer behind a proposed car wash at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Clover Street would have to pay the town of Brighton $50,000 in incentives, seek approval from the state Department of Transportation to maintain a median, and install a gate to prohibit entry if the car wash is full.
And last but not least: Provide car washes for town-owned vehicles.
That last requirement stands out for its sheer brazenness. It underlines, though, the extent to which town officials have gone to prevent unwanted business. If that was the goal, they may have succeeded.
Rightly so, the developer behind the car wash, the Daniele family, is fed up. Last week’s meeting was the last straw, said the Danieles, who say they’ve already invested $150,000 into the project so far. After yet another meeting replete with back-and-forth on the proposal, the Danieles put the property up for sale. While they’re open to further discussion with the town, they say they doubt they’ll get approval for the business.
While we applaud the town for listening to residents’ concerns about traffic in a congested area of town, it’s hard to see how free town car washes help alleviate that problem.
By wielding its power with such an iron fist, the town made a mockery of its legitimate responsibility to put the interest of Brighton residents — not government officials, or the drivers of town-owned vehicles — first.
In order to pass town muster, the developer behind a proposed car wash at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Clover Street would have to pay the town of Brighton $50,000 in incentives, seek approval from the state Department of Transportation to maintain a median, and install a gate to prohibit entry if the car wash is full.
And last but not least: Provide car washes for town-owned vehicles.
That last requirement stands out for its sheer brazenness. It underlines, though, the extent to which town officials have gone to prevent unwanted business. If that was the goal, they may have succeeded.
Rightly so, the developer behind the car wash, the Daniele family, is fed up. Last week’s meeting was the last straw, said the Danieles, who say they’ve already invested $150,000 into the project so far. After yet another meeting replete with back-and-forth on the proposal, the Danieles put the property up for sale. While they’re open to further discussion with the town, they say they doubt they’ll get approval for the business.
While we applaud the town for listening to residents’ concerns about traffic in a congested area of town, it’s hard to see how free town car washes help alleviate that problem.
By wielding its power with such an iron fist, the town made a mockery of its legitimate responsibility to put the interest of Brighton residents — not government officials, or the drivers of town-owned vehicles — first.
