South Medford residents may soon enjoy the convenience of a new car wash facility, “Surf Thru,” as plans for its construction are under consideration. The proposed project includes a 3,365 square foot car wash building, complete with a car wash tunnel, equipment room, and restroom. Additionally, a 660 square foot pay station building will house the payment area, offices, and another restroom. Plans also call for 18 vacuum stalls and 8 employee stalls.
The location of “Surf Thru” spans two contiguous parcels totaling approximately 1.46 acres. Positioned east of Oregon Highway 99 and fronted by E. Barnett Road at its southerly boundary (address: 245 E. Barnett Road), the car wash site falls within the C-R (Regional Commercial) zoning district. Notably, the location currently hosts a former McDonald’s building that was replaced by a new structure just east of the previous site a few years ago, resulting in the old location being vacant since then. If approved, the building would be razed for this new development.
“Surf Thru” developers say the business will feature an automatic payment station to streamline transactions for customers. The car wash operation is designed to be mostly automated, with minimal noise levels. Measured at 68 decibels from a distance of 45 feet, the primary noise producer, the blowers, exceeds 50 feet from the property line and interior of the existing shopping center, minimizing any potential disturbances to the surroundings.
The new car wash aims to recycle the majority of the water used during the car wash process. To achieve this, the facility plans to utilize four underground tanks to store used water, allowing for recycling through the filtration systems.
If the project receives approval, “Surf Thru” will tentatively operate seven days a week, from 7 am to 9 pm. The facility will have an estimated 4 to 5 car wash employees on-site during operational hours. Developers are currently estimating a daily count of 90 to 100 cars washed.
Source: City of Medford
