Photo courtesy of LIV Ventures
LIV Ventures is proposing to build a car wash similar to this one in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in the Rocky Ridge community in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
A proposal to build a New Day Car Wash and Bullet coffee shop on Rocky Ridge Road in Vestavia Hills has officially been withdrawn following strong opposition from nearby residents.
The proposed development would have been located at 2534 and 2530 Rocky Ridge Road, directly north of the Publix shopping center in Rocky Ridge Square. The project was planned for approximately 2.4 acres and would have replaced an existing office building.
The car wash was proposed by LIV Development, while the coffee shop portion of the project was planned by GenRev Properties. The development would have required approval from the Vestavia Hills City Council.
The proposal had been scheduled for consideration by the Vestavia Hills Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this spring before being delayed to allow additional neighborhood discussion.
Developers withdrew the application after an April 27 community meeting failed to ease concerns from residents living near the site.
The proposal had generated significant pushback from the surrounding neighborhood, with many residents arguing that a car wash was not compatible with the area’s desired village-style atmosphere. Concerns also focused heavily on traffic, noise and impacts on nearby residential areas and Mountain Chapel Methodist Church’s preschool traffic.
At the April 27 meeting, which was attended by roughly 75 residents, LIV Ventures President Tom Spies said the company believed most customers would already be traveling along Rocky Ridge Road and that the business would create only a modest increase in traffic. The company also proposed roadway improvements, including a turn lane, and said the site had been engineered to prevent vehicle stacking onto Rocky Ridge Road.
Residents, however, continued to express concerns about increased congestion, operational noise and the overall fit of a car wash within the community.
