Approval of Carwash Project Postponed

The size and design of a proposed gas station and carwash on the city’s east side have prompted Camarillo city planners to postpone approving the project.

The Planning Commission on Tuesday night directed American National Oil Co. to reduce the height of its building, add architectural changes to improve the appearance of columns and a wall visible to the freeway, and reduce the size of the facility’s retail section.

The station would be built near Flynn Road and Mission Oaks Boulevard.

“They are not allowed to have a mini-mart in that zone,” said Tony Boden, the city’s planning director.

Planning commissioners will review the project’s architectural designs a second time at their Feb. 3 meeting.

Despite residents’ concerns about the potential for increased noise, the city’s acoustical analysis indicates the carwash would be far enough away from neighbors that it would not be a nuisance.

“They moved it farther away from the residents so they won’t even be able to hear it in operation,” Boden said.

“Plus, the freeway noise is so loud that it has a way of eliminating any noise that could possibly be generated.”

As for traffic, the city is expected to modify the interchanges at Flynn Road, and Mission Oaks Boulevard and Dawson Drive by June 1999 to relieve much of the congestion that now exists in the area, officials said.