Rezoning needed for a carwash planned near the intersection of Perryville Road and Lexington Avenue was not recommended for approval Wednesday by the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission.

The final decision on the rezoning request will be up to the city council to make at its March 19 meeting.

The property manager of three apartment buildings near the proposed carwash spoke against the project proposed by H&S Investments LLC during a public hearing Wednesday night. Two area residents also sent their objections in writing to city hall before the meeting.

H&S owns the Winks service station at the corner of Perryville Road and Lexington Avenue.

Several commission members also expressed their opposition to the request to rezone property at 2017 Perryville Road from a residential district to a commercial district.

"This is still a residential area," commission member Bill Hinckley said. "You've gone from a small gas station to a big gas station and now you want to expand commercial activities even more by putting in a carwash. That's a big problem. It opens it to all commercial activity if something happens to that carwash or plans change."

The motion to approve the rezoning request for the vacant lot where the carwash is planned failed with five votes against and three in favor.

H&S also requested rezoning of two parcels adjoining the proposed carwash -- a strip center at 2021 Perryville Road and Winks gas station at 2017 Perryville Road.

Architect Philip Smith, who spoke on behalf of H&S, said the goal of these rezoning requests was to bring the properties into a more appropriate zoning for their current use.

David Soto, of Soto Property Solutions, which manages apartment buildings for Zain II LLC, told the commission he opposed rezoning the strip center site from multifamily residential to neighborhood commercial.

Soto said the building is rented to a salon and construction company and there are already problems in the area with traffic congestion and trash disposal.

"They use our trash bins because there in no room for one on their site. There is also no room for parking," he said.

Commission member Ralph Maxton said he travels by that intersection often and is always surprised by the activity there.

"That parking lot is crammed full of cars," he said.

The motion to rezone the strip center site failed with a 4-4 vote.

A motion to rezone the Winks site from residential to neighborhood commercial did pass, but three commission members voted against it.

"When the argument was first made [to develop Winks], the residents were told if they decided to not do a filling station there, it would revert to R-1. That was the protection for the neighborhood," Hinckley said. "Now if they decide not to run a gas station, they can put in anything that meets NC requirements in what I still consider a residential area. That was not the intent."

The commission also approved a conditional use permit for Winks to continue to operate under the new zoning district. That was approved with the restriction that the business may only operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

2021 Perryville Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

2017 Perryville Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.