Panel OKs plans for Culver’s, car wash at last

The fourth time was the charm for a proposed Tommy’s Express car wash and expanded Culver’s restaurant.

The Grafton Plan Commission last week approved site plans and conditional use permits for both businesses, which are planned to be built on a 3.11-acre site at 1743 Wisconsin Ave. between Blain’s Farm and Fleet and Goodwill.

The village has heard several plans for the restaurant and a car wash at the site  since 2023, most recently in June.

The 4,810-square-foot Culver’s restaurant, which will be built on the northern 1.95 acres, will have seating for 123 people and two drive-through lanes.

Its parking lot will accommodate 67 vehicles.

Since the last plan was considered in June, the parking lot and drive-through were reconfigured to address concerns with circulation issues, Interim Village Administrator and Community Development Director Jessica Wolff said in a memo to the commission.

The developer, LSRE Grafton, also moved the tall retaining walls to the west side of the site, reducing the height of the wall along Wisconsin Avenue, and moved a sidewalk from the Goodwill property onto its own.

“I’m glad to see Culver’s has come back with a much better plan,” commission member Kevin Curtis said.

Commission member Mark Paschke concurred, saying, “This plan is fine.”

During a public hearing on the plan, Wendy Stencel, 577 Maple St., expressed concern about the amount of noise and traffic that will be generated by the restaurant.

Her daughter, she said, lives behind the site and “she will be looking at Culver’s right in her back yard. That’s a lot of lights and traffic.”

Stencel also expressed concern about the amount of impervious surfaces on the property and how it will impact drainage.

“Where is all this water going?” she asked.

The development includes an undergound stormwater detention system, Chris McGuire, president of McCon Building Corp., said, adding water will be released into the village’s stormwater system at a controlled rate.

He also noted that the speaker posts at Culver’s are directional to minimize any noise pollution.

“We are aware of noise and we want to respect the neighbors,” he said.

When the new restaurant opens, something expected in June 2026, the existing Culver’s on Wisconsin Avenue will close.

The 4,612-square-foot Tommy’s Express, to be built on the south 1.16 acres of the property, will include a car wash with double payment lanes, 18 self-serve vacuums and seven parking spaces for employees.

Wolff said the building had been shortened by 20 feet to provide more room for vehicles to maneuver and a left-turn lane at the exit was removed.

The tall retaining walls were moved to the west side of the property, and a more attractive fence is included.

The car wash will operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and open in 2026.

The village recommended that a guard rail be built along the retaining wall on the Farm and Fleet site.

Stencel questioned the need for a car wash in the village, saying, “We already have two car washes in town. Do we need a third?”

She asked the village to require the company to require fencing along the nearby bike path to shield the development from neighbors, but Wolff noted that since the site isn’t contiguous with the path that isn’t possible.

Several people questioned the need for 18 vacuums at the site, with commission member Brittany Hess saying, “It feels a bit excessive to me.”

She also questioned the size of the business, adding, “It does seem like it’s a big car wash for this site.”

McGuire said the number of vacuums is considered “normal,” adding typically they won’t all be used at once.

“I’m disheartened to hear you say you’re building them for peak use,” commission member Scott Uhen said. “It’s kind of like building a church for Easter Sunday.”

But commission member Michelle Rishell said she can understand the frustration of customers on peak days when they have to wait a significant amount of time to wash their cars.

“I can see both sides of that,” she said.

Several commission members asked that the vacuums be pushed farther west on the site so they aren’t front and center.

“They’re really a visual focus (now),” Paschke said. “I don’t think they’re the most attractive thing.”

McGuire agreed to the move.

Both businesses will be accessed from two points, the driveway to the Blain’s property and the driveway to Goodwill.

While increased traffic in the area has been a concern, Wolff noted that the village has had its consultant update a 2023 traffic study and it found that a traffic light is not warranted for the main shopping center driveway.

“A traffic signal is expected to be warranted in the future based on the existing traffic plus the Culver’s/Tommy’s site plus full occupancy of the shopping center,” she said in a memo to the commission.

Plans for the two businesses face one more review by the village, a review by the Architectural Review Board on Sept. 10.