Group of Corpus Christi residents is trying to stop a car wash from being built in their neighborhood.
John Barron and his neighbors have spent their mornings protesting a request to rezone 3302 S. Alameda St., at the intersection of Texan Trail, in the Morningside subdivision.
The land, which is currently zoned as "ON" Neighborhood Office District, would change to a "CN-1" Neighborhood Commercial District.
Three buildings currently are on that corner, and if the rezoning request is approved, it will allow the developer — Joseph Earnest from Springville, Utah — to demolish two of the buildings in order to build a Quick Quack Car Wash.
Eight residents recently voiced their opposition to the rezoning request during the city of Corpus Christi Planning Commission's meeting on Oct. 27. The vote was tabled, and a hearing is now set for Dec. 8 at the Corpus Christi City Council Chambers.
Resident John Barron and some of his neighbors said they will continue to protest in hopes of garnering enough support to stop the area from being rezoned.
Barron said the group is opposed to the car wash because of the increased traffic it will bring to the neighborhood.
"There are three schools here — W.B. Ray High School, Incarnate Word Academy and St. Patrick," he said. "There are pedestrians all over the place. We're just concerned about the safety and peacefulness and integrity of our neighborhood. We'd like to keep the neighborhood in the present situation here with office buildings, in support of the medical community."
Residents who appeared at the meeting agreed the area is quiet during the day, which Doctor's Regional Hospital bringing minimal traffic to the area, but in the evening, traffic picks up as people who work Downtown use the Morningside neighborhood as a shortcut to get to the other side of town.
Barron worries that the car wash will remain open late in the evening, which are generally quiet residents said, but they said a car wash would change that.
"There's going to be a constant flow (of traffic)," he said. "It's a very efficient way to operate a car wash, but it's going to generate a lot of traffic to our corner."
Planning commissioner Sheldon Schroeder also said he is concerned about the area's current "congestion issues."
During the Oct. 27 meeting, Earnest said Quick Quack wants to be "good neighbors and they take meaningful measures to reduce levels of noise from the car-wash machines and adjust lighting during seasonal hours of operation," according to the planning-commission meeting minutes. He also said the car wash's vehicle-stacking lanes should not reach full capacity, and will not flow out onto the street.
But Barron also said there are several car washes in the area, and an additional car wash isn't necessary.
"There's a lot of other car washes that our residents can drive to," Barron said. "They are very close by. There's one at the H-E-B (on Glazebrook and S. Alameda St.). There one's around the corner of Staples, on Kostoryz. On Weber."
Digital content producer Ana Tamez contributed to this story.
