BROOK PARK, Ohio — Brook Park is the latest city in Northeast Ohio to put a pause on new car washes coming to the area.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
We continue to follow through on the craze of "car wash moratoriums." Brook Park is following suit with cities like Parma, Parma Heights, Stow, and Streetsboro.
Brook Park City Council unanimously passed the 12-month moratorium. At a meeting, Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt said the decision comes down to diversifying and redeveloping the city.
"Brook Park is under 8 squre miles. Our main corridor is Snow Road," he said. "We are landlocked a little bit, where we don’t have too many areas to grow, so what we want to assure to our residents and our visitors coming to our city is that we are going to provide a variety of retail."
He said there are several car washes in the city on Snow Road, and one that is currently under construction.
Paul Marnecheck is the city's Commissioner of Economic Development. He said they're hoping for unique businesses that attract people to the city.
"I like business that have some density, many employees, or businesses that have something unique for the residents," said Marnecheck. "We are a 63-year-old town. We need to redevelop. We need to be ready for the next 63 years."
Mayor Orcutt said it's also about allowing the already-existing car washes to thrive.
"We want to make sure we protect them, in the sense that we don’t want them to go out of business in a few years. We also want to protect the lending institutions that have given them the opportunity to set up shop," he said.
One car wash owner who did not want to go on camera with News 5 said he appreciates the moratorium but thinks it's too little, too late.
Another business owner said he agrees there are too many car washes but adds a car wash is better than a vacant building or lot.
"Maybe give other businesses the opportunity; if no one else wants to jump on board, then yeah, why not put a car wash?" he said.
Orcutt said they're considering a limit on other types of businesses like vape shops.
