A proposed $16 million car wash at 60th Street and Kedzie Avenue sparked heated debate at a community meeting Tuesday, June 2, with residents raising concerns about traffic congestion, noise, and water use in an already strained corridor.
EL Car Wash purchased the property earlier this year and plans to break ground on the site — a vacant lot that once housed an Illinois Bell parking facility. The company projects six to seven months of construction, with an opening targeted for late 2027. The facility will employ approximately 12 local hires.
But neighbors whose homes face 60th Street made clear they want answers before work begins.
“We need to know what is going on, what buildings are going up or coming down,” said 14th Ward Alderwoman Jeylu Gutierrez, who invited residents to the meeting at Chicago Lawn Library. “I am your neighbor and appreciate you coming tonight. We must not only know what’s going on but making sure they are good neighbors, too.”
The meeting drew 40 to 45 residents, many focused on a single concern: traffic.
Kedzie Avenue is already congested, residents said, citing backups caused by the Dunkin’ Donuts across the street and the McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Pete’s Market to the north. A car wash, they worried, would worsen the problem.
Gabe Schuchman, a Development Partner with EL Car Wash, countered with data.
“According to data from ITE (Institute of Transportation Engineers), a car wash generates less trips than a fast-food restaurant with a drive through,” he said. “It has less intense peak hours because it is not a destination trip, meaning the car wash utilizes pass-by traffic which reduces the impact by pulling traffic from the adjacent street, not adding new trips.”
He added that traffic will enter and exit off 60th Street, not Kedzie Avenue.
That detail raised a second concern. Residents noted that 60th Street is one-way westbound. Cars leaving the car wash would have no choice but to turn south onto their residential alley or onto Sawyer Avenue, which is also one-way.
Schuchman and Gutierrez promised a traffic study before construction begins to determine whether changes — like converting 60th Street to two-way traffic — are necessary.
Residents also raised concerns about noise, nighttime lighting, and environmental impact.
The company responded that no music will be played on the site, and vacuum equipment will be housed in concrete enclosures to keep noise at street level. The car wash will close at 8 p.m., with lights off.
On water use, residents questioned whether the area needed another water-intensive business, given existing laundromats and car washes nearby. The company said it uses only biodegradable soaps — the same as household cleaners — and recycles 90 percent of water.
Safety concerns were addressed with a commitment to fence the entire lot and maintain landscaping along the perimeter. The company operates 100 locations nationwide and says all are well-maintained.