Title
[Appeal] Florin Road Quick Quack Car Wash (P25-013) [Noticed 04/17/2026; Published 04/17/2026]
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00879
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Location
Location: 3815 Florin Road, APN: 041-0120-022-0000; District 5
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Conduct a public hearing and upon conclusion: adopt a Resolution denying a Conditional Use Permit to establish a car wash within the General Commercial (C-2) Zone and Site Plan and Design Review for the construction of a car wash and associated site improvements on a ±1.15-acre portion of a vacant ±14.25-acre parcel.
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Contact
Contact: Danny Abbes, Associate Planner, (916) 808-5873, dabbes@cityofsacramento.org;
Marcus Adams, Senior Planner, (916) 808-5044, madams@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Community Development
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Presenter
Presenter: Danny Abbes, Associate Planner, (916) 808-5873, dabbes@cityofsacramento.org, Department of Community Development
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Applicant
Applicant: Vance Shannon, 6020 W Oak Blvd., Suite 300, Rocklin, CA 95765
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PropertyOwner
Property Owner: Ethan Conrad, 1300 National Dr., Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95834
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Background
3-Resolution: Findings of Fact denying project entitlements
4-Proposed Project Plans
5-Civic Thread project comment letter
6-Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District project response
7-General Plan Map M-3: Candidate High-Frequency Transit Corridors
8-General Plan Map EJ-5: Communities Cumulatively Impacted by Environmental Justice Issues
9-General Plan Map M-1: Roadway Reallocations
10-General Plan Map EJ-3: Census Tracts with Highest Pollution Burden Score
11-General Plan Map CP-SA-3: South Area Maximum Floor Area Ratio
12-Property owner’s conceptual plan for potential future development of the remainder of the site’s parcel and adjoining parcels
13-Project Draft Conditions
14-Applicant Presentation
15-Staff Presentation
16-Project Comments and Outreach Memo Submitted by Applicants
17-Appeal
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The applicant is proposing to establish a car wash on a ±1.15-acre portion of a larger ±14.2-acre parcel within the General Commercial (C-2) zone. The request requires approval of a Conditional Use Permit to establish a car wash, and Site Plan and Design Review for construction of the building and associated site improvements.
Staff does not support the request to establish a car wash use at this location. Staff recommend that the City Council deny the project for the following reasons:
• The proposed car wash is inconsistent with General Plan and South Area Community Plan policies, Issues and Opportunities, and visions related to transit-supportive development (i.e. housing and mixed-use) at the site.
• A car wash land use would fail to take advantage of a site that is well-positioned to serve residents who could conveniently walk, bike, or take transit to daily destinations and customers who could arrive by foot, bike, or transit.
• A non-auto oriented use at this location could reduce vehicle trips and the number of collisions within the Florin Road High Injury Network and adjacent Vision Zero Top 5 Corridor.
• The proposed car wash would not add a needed service to the area.
The following Policy Considerations and Entitlement sections of this report discuss these and other concerns in further detail.
Staff received an appeal of the Planning and Design Commission’s denial of the project on March 4, 2026, that claims project approval is supported by substantial evidence. Staff’s recommendation to deny the project remains unchanged.
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Public/NeighborhoodOutreachandComments
Public/Neighborhood Outreach and Comments: As part of the application review process, the proposal was routed to Civic Thread, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, Sacramento Regional Transit, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Preservation Sacramento, North Laguna Creek Valley Hi Community Association, and Florin Road Partnership.
Staff received comments from Civic Thread and Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD). Civic Thread stated that the project is inconsistent with city-adopted multimodal, safety, and climate goals, and recommends project denial. SMAQMD’s response to the proposed project states that a pedestrian-oriented use, rather than an automobile-oriented use, would be favorable at the project location as it would be consistent with the local public health aims of the South Sacramento-Florin AB 617 Community Air Protection Program and support sustainable transportation. Civic Thread’s and SMAQMD’s full comments are included in Attachments 5 and 6 of this report. Staff did not directly receive any project comment letters from individual members of the public. The applicant submitted comment letters and an outreach memo which can be seen in Attachment 16.
Notification of this hearing was sent to property owners and occupants within a 500-foot radius of the subject site, and the subject site was posted with contact information for project questions, as well as the date, time, and participation details for the project hearing.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations:
2040 General Plan
The 2040 General Plan designation for the subject site is Residential Mixed Use (RMU). This designation is intended to foster vibrant, walkable areas with a high-intensity mix of residential, commercial, office, and public uses, where daily errands can be accomplished on foot, by bicycle, or by transit.
Allowable uses include the following:
• A full range of residential, retail, employment, entertainment, cultural, and personal service uses
• General offices and community institutional uses, such as banks, financial institutions, care facilities, and medical and professional offices
• Assembly facilities
• Compatible public, quasi-public, and special uses
Staff Response: A car wash is not a precluded use within the RMU designation; however, given the context of its proposed site, which is surrounded by a continuous system of sidewalks/crosswalks and within walking and biking distance of residential, commercial, office, schools, and transit, a use that exclusively serves customers with cars at this location is an ill-suited use to foster walkability and does not allow for errands to be accomplished on foot, by bicycle, or by transit.
Staff considered potentially applicable General Plan and South Area Community Plan policies and Community Issues and Opportunities including South Area Issue and Opportunity - Infill Development, and General Plan Land Use Policy 1.8 (Jobs and Housing Balance):
Infill Development
South Area Community Issue and Opportunity: Infill Development - While most of the South Area is fully built out in established neighborhoods and commercial areas, vacant lots near Cosumnes River College, along commercial corridors such as Mack Road, and in the Delta Shores development, and at the City-owned 102-acre parcel, as well as underutilized lots, such as those along Florin Road, represent opportunities for infill development that can help realize the community vision. Development in these areas can support existing community-serving businesses like grocery stores and mercados, helping new ones to establish and creating new jobs for residents by building on the area’s strength as healthcare and education centers. Many of these vacant or underutilized parcels have excellent access to light rail, providing direct access to Downtown. (underline added by staff for emphasis)
Staff Response: The South Area Community Plan speaks specifically to vacant properties along high frequency bus routes as an opportunity for transit-oriented development:
“In the South Area, the Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) Blue Line light rail and high frequency bus routes create opportunities for transit-oriented infill development of vacant and underutilized properties. Land use designations in these transit-oriented development areas are intended to promote mixed-use areas near light rail and bus service to incentivize multi-unit housing that supports more frequent/reliable transit service and bolsters retail vitality.” (Community Plan: South Area 11-SA-7)
Furthermore, The Community Vision section of the South Area Community Plan states:
“Vacant and underutilized land has been redeveloped into vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods that feature a variety of affordable and adaptable housing options and support high-quality transit service along the SacRT Blue Line light rail and the Florin Road high-frequency bus corridor.” (Community Plan: South Area 11-SA-3)
Staff finds that the proposed auto-oriented infill development does not realize the South Area community vision of mixed-use, transit-oriented infill development along Florin Road near quality existing and planned further enhanced bus service.
Staff had the following further considerations regarding the impacts of infill development:
• The proposed land use is an abundantly available service within the area. There are already four existing car washes less than one mile from the proposed site.
• The proposed site and structure have limited potential for adaptable re-use, due to minimal commercial/office area and a very high percentage of space dedicated to vehicles. Staff believe it is unlikely the building could accommodate a future business that is transit supportive without cost-prohibitive improvements.
• The proposed use is auto-oriented rather than transit-oriented and does not offer a high level of development intensity. The General Plan designates the site as part of a Transit Oriented Development Area (General Plan Map M-3, Attachment 7) and as one of the few selected areas of the highest development intensity in the South Area (General Plan Map CP-SA-3, Attachment 11). The 1.15-acre site would require a minimum of 23 units for a housing development application and allows for a commercial/office development to have a building of over 200,000 square feet.
• The site already has sidewalk infrastructure that connects to the surrounding sidewalk system. While the proposed project could provide a separated sidewalk and trees along its frontage, this will be a requirement for any type of development at the site. The short-term gain would be outweighed by both short and long-term consequences as described in the remainder of the report.
• Approval of the proposal could set precedent to a pattern of auto-oriented uses for the remainder of the large surrounding ±14.2-acre vacant area, and the adjacent ±0.52 corner parcel, which further jeopardizes area pedestrian safety, decreases the effectiveness of local transit investments and services, and encourages increased use of personal vehicles which adversely impacts local air quality. (See Attachment 12 which is an exhibit referred to in the project’s application as the “[Property] owner’s conceptual plan for potential future development of the remainder of the site’s parcel and adjoining parcels.”)
Jobs and Housing Balance
LUP-1.8 Jobs-Housing Balance. The City shall encourage a balance between job type, the workforce, and housing development to reduce the negative impacts of long commutes and provide a range of employment opportunities for all city residents.
Staff Response: An express car wash is a relatively low-volume employer which would contribute minimally to local commuting or to the existing high-ridership bus service in the immediate area. As an exterior only express carwash, fewer employees per shift are utilized compared to a full-service carwash. In addition to a low volume of employment, it’s typical that most car wash job positions do not offer living wages, healthcare benefits, or full-time employment. The census tract in which the site is located ranks in the 4th percentile of residents above poverty level, and 15th percentile of residents with access to healthcare. (Source: California Healthy Places Index, 2015-2019 American Community Survey) Furthermore, the jobs may displace existing similar jobs within less than a mile from the site due to market saturation.
Staff finds that the proposed use offers a relatively low benefit related to the local jobs-housing balance.
Staff find that the proposed project is inconsistent with the following 2040 General Plan Land Use Element Goals and policies supporting transit-friendly development, transportation safety, and community air protection. Further evaluation and impacts related to the following policies can be found in the Entitlements section of this report.
Goal LUP-4 Walkable, transit-oriented centers and corridors that concentrate new jobs, housing, and entertainment opportunities to support frequent, reliable transit service and foster connected, accessible neighborhoods.
Policy LUP-4.1 Transit-Supportive Development. The City shall encourage increased residential and commercial development intensity within ½-mile of existing high-frequency bus stops and existing and planned light rail stations, bus rapid transit stations, and commuter rail stations to support more frequent, reliable transit service and vibrant, walkable neighborhoods.
Staff Response: The proposal is a vehicle-dependent commercial development with a low-volume employer located approximately 100 feet from an existing bus stop on a high-ridership route and 30-minute service intervals, and along the planned service route of future bus rapid transit.
Goal M-4 A safer transportation system.
Policy M-4.3 Vision Zero. The City shall utilize a data-driven, “vision zero” approach to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2027, while increasing safety, health, and equitable mobility for all.
Policy M-4.9 Safe Routes to School. The City shall assess opportunities to develop and support Safe Routes to School programming.
Staff Response: The project site is a quarter-mile walking distance from Luther Burbank High School, also located on Florin Road, and a half-mile walking distance from both Bowling Green Elementary School and Fern Bacon Middle School in an area with a low rate of household vehicle ownership where many residents rely on walking and public transit. The site is well-positioned within a walkable, transit-accessible neighborhood and zoned to accommodate a multitude of uses that could generate a high number of trips by pedestrians, cyclists, and transit.
This section of Florin Road is part of a High Injury Network right next to a Top 5 Vision Zero Corridor and adjacent to a transit stop, meaning City statistical data indicates that this collection of circumstances makes the roadway in the immediate project area among the very highest risk for traffic fatality and severe injury in the city. The proposed car wash would only serve customers with cars, in an area extremely vulnerable to vehicle-related injury and death. Staff believe auto-oriented uses such as a car wash do not belong at this site.
Goal EJ-1 Clean air water, and soil with no segment of the community disproportionately burdened by environment conditions.
Policy EJ-1.2 Community Air Protection. On an ongoing basis, the City shall support the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD), community members, businesses, and other stakeholders in implementation of AB 617 and other Community Emissions Reduction Programs (CERPs), which may include developing and implementing community air monitoring plans, community emissions reduction plans, and other air pollution control initiatives.
Staff Response: The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) reviewed the proposed project and stated that “ideally the site location on a prominent corner in this area would be a pedestrian-oriented use rather than an automobile-oriented use. This would be consistent with the public health aims of AB 617 and would support sustainable transportation investments such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).” Denial of the proposed car wash at this location supports SMAQMD and upholds this general plan policy aimed at helping reduce localized emissions.
South Area Community Plan
The subject property is located within the South Area Community Plan area of the General Plan which encompasses 16.5 square miles of the city south of Fruitridge Road to the southern city border mostly between Highway 99 and Interstate 5.
The plan includes a vision and policies derived from extensive public input and relevant South Area plans and studies. These policies are specific to the South Area and intend to supplement citywide policies. The plan also contains identified community issues and opportunities, associated with citywide General Plan policies, expected to be considered and addressed with future area development. Staff find the proposed project inconsistent with the following vision, policy, and community issues/opportunities discussion within the South Area Community Plan:
Vision: “Vacant and underutilized land has been redeveloped into vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods that feature a variety of affordable and adaptable housing options and support high-quality transit service along the SacRT Blue Line light rail and the Florin Road high-frequency bus corridor.”
Staff Response: The proposed development does not provide housing or mixed-use and does not support high quality transit service along Florin Road.
Policy SA-M-1 High Frequency Transit. The City should collaborate with the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) to plan and implement high-frequency transit between Indian Lane and Franklin Boulevard, consistent with the Sacramento Regional Transit Master Plan and to the satisfaction of the City’s Department of Public Works.
Staff Response: The project site is located on Florin Road between Indian Lane and Franklin Boulevard. The city has designated the site as part of a planned Transit-Oriented Development Area to complement SacRT’s quality transit system along Florin Road. Transit-friendly uses combined with transit access help the city reduce vehicle congestion, improve air quality, and reach climate action goals. The pairing of transit-friendly uses with transit access also helps provide more equitable access to goods, services, and housing to Sacramentans who rely upon transit as a primary mode of transportation.
South Area Community Plan Issues and Opportunities: High Frequency Transit Access - The recent expansion of the Blue Line to Cosumnes River College could be complemented by the potential for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line on Florin Road. Intensifying residential, mixed-use, and office mixed-use development around stations supporting walking connections to and from stations can help to promote higher transit use and reduce local congestion and air pollution.
Staff Response: The proposed development is an auto-oriented use that does not promote higher transit use and does not offer commercial service to pedestrians or cyclists, thereby eliminating the best opportunity to reduce local congestion and air pollution.
South Area Community Plan Issues and Opportunities: Air Quality - Parts of the South Area, particularly low-income neighborhoods, face high air pollution exposure. The California Air Resources Board and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District are working with communities in the South Sacramento-Florin and Meadowview communities to develop community air monitoring and emissions reduction plans. This community plan offers further opportunities for targeted policies that promote the health and well-being of residents.
Staff Response: The project site is within a low-income neighborhood exposed to high air pollution. Developing a site capable of conveniently serving non-polluting forms of transportation with an auto-oriented use would exacerbate the stated issue and pass upon a prime opportunity.
Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP)
Given the site’s high level of access to transit, pedestrian infrastructure, schools, and mix of surrounding land uses and amenities, the proposed project is inconsistent with the CAAP’s following Transportation Strategy and Action and Implementation Measure:
Transportation Strategy
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector are the largest contributor to Sacramento’s GHG emissions and are driven by on-road passenger vehicles, heavy duty vehicles and commercial vehicles. Getting to carbon neutral in this sector entails a three-tiered approach:
• Significantly increase the portion of trips completed via active transportation options like walking and biking
• Transition the majority of remaining trips to public transit and carpools
• Transition any remaining passenger and vehicle trips to EVs.
Actions and Implementation
Measure TR-2.3 Encourage SacRT to provide frequent, reliable transit in the City’s priority corridors to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and support SacRT in implementing priority transit corridors. Coordinate transit priority corridors with consideration of transportation needs as well as land use planning to provide transit-supportive land uses. Encourage the expansion of frequent, reliable transit services throughout the City.
Staff Response: An auto-oriented use located at a walkable, transit-accessible site discourages active transportation and does not support transit.
Federal and State transportation grants are a key component of funding for transit services such as Bus Rapid Transit. An example is California’s Interregional Transportation Improvement Program (ITIP.) The ITIP focuses on projects that align with the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure, supporting GHG reduction, equity for under-resourced communities, and interregional travel. Two 2026 ITIP Scoring and Selection criteria categories related to land use decisions are:
Community & Environmental Impact: Emphasis on projects that improve public health, address community needs (equity), and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Technical Criteria: Evaluation includes cost-effectiveness, congestion reduction, and improvement of interregional movement for people and goods throughout California on the State Highway System and development of Intercity Passenger Rail Corridors.
Housing Element Sites Inventory
This project is located on a consolidated site listed in the 2021-2029 Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) Housing Element Sites Inventory, which anticipates 755 total units including 377 units of moderate income housing and 378 units of lower income housing. This project does not propose housing units.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) does not apply to projects which a public agency rejects or disapproves pursuant to Guidelines Section 15270(a).
Although prior to City Staff’s decision to recommend denial of the project, a Modified Initial Study/15183 Checklist was prepared to analyze if the proposed project would not result in any significant impacts that:
1) were peculiar to the project or the project site;
2) were not identified as a significant effect in the General Plan Master Environmental Impact Report (MEIR);
3) were potentially significant off-site impacts and cumulative impacts which were not discussed in the prior MEIR prepared for the General Plan; or
4) were previously identified significant effects, and which as a result of substantial new information that was not known at the time that the General Plan MEIR was certified, were determined to have a more severe adverse impact than discussed in the General Plan MEIR.
Under Section 15183 of the CEQA Guidelines, where a project is consistent with the development density established for a property under an existing general plan or zoning ordinance for which the City already certified an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), additional environmental review is not required “except as might be necessary to examine whether there are project-specific significant effects which are peculiar to the project or its site.”
On February 27, 2024, the City of Sacramento adopted the 2040 General Plan, which became effective on March 28, 2024. The City of Sacramento also certified a Master Environmental Impact Report (MEIR) associated with the 2040 General Plan on February 27, 2024. The General Plan MEIR is a master EIR, prepared pursuant to Section 15169 of the CEQA Guidelines (Title 14, California Code of Regulations §15000 et seq.). The General Plan MEIR analyzed full implementation of the General Plan and identified measures to mitigate the significant adverse impacts associated with the General Plan to the maximum extent feasible.
The Environmental Services Manager has concluded, based upon the analysis and conclusions of the Modified Initial Study/15183 Checklist, the project would be exempt from further review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.
The Initial Study/15183 Checklist is available on the City’s EIR webpage at:
https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/community-development/planning/environmental/impact-reports
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
Sustainability: The proposed project does not support a sustainable development pattern in the city. It occupies a walkable urban space near schools, neighborhood services, stores, and transit connections with a car-dependent business. Housing or pedestrian and transit-oriented commercial development are allowed uses at the site that would contribute to a sustainable development pattern.
Commission/Committee Action: On February 26, 2026, the Planning and Design Commission conducted a public hearing and denied the Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan and Design Review entitlements to construct and operate the proposed car wash.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: Staff recommend the Council deny the requested entitlements to permit a car wash based on the findings of fact listed within Attachment 3. The proposed project does not align with goals and land use policies of the 2040 General Plan, South Area Community Plan Issues and Opportunities, Vision Zero, the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and required fact findings for approval of a Conditional Use Permit.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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