City Council Votes to Approve Urgency Ordinance

The primary concern for the Upland City Council was the "overconcentration" of car washes. While market demand often dictates business growth, the city determined that the sheer density of these facilities had become a planning issue. The city currently has a total of 13 car washes, a diverse mix that includes 7 full-service facilities, 4 attached to gas stations, and 2 older self-service locations.

The city staff's report highlighted several "hot spots" of overconcentration as evidence:

• Foothill Boulevard: 7 car washes exist along a single 3-mile stretch.

• 20th Street: 3 car washes are located within a 1,200-foot distance.

• Mountain Avenue: 2 car washes operate within a half-mile of each other.

This level of saturation moves beyond free-market dynamics and becomes a question of urban identity. When a single type of business dominates key corridors, it can stifle commercial diversity and create a monotonous streetscape that detracts from the city's unique character.

A Single Application Can Be the Tipping Point

Like many municipal actions, this city-wide moratorium was triggered by a single, pivotal development proposal that proved to be the last straw. On December 23, 2025, an application was submitted to establish a new Quick Quack Car Wash. The proposed location, the site of the "Old Tequila Hoppers Bar & Grill" on Mountain Avenue, was only about 1,000 linear feet from an existing car wash. This specific application served as the catalyst, forcing the city to address the growing problem of overconcentration before it worsened.

A Car Wash Can Be an "Immediate Threat to Public Welfare"

Legally, enacting an "Urgency Ordinance" requires a high bar: the city had to frame the car wash boom not as an inconvenience, but as an immediate threat to public welfare. Upland's justification is striking because it elevates common business side effects to the level of a public danger. The city's official reasoning states:

The proliferation throughout the City is an immediate threat to public health, safety or welfare. Car washes are often noisy because they require the use of large-scale, industrial vacuuming systems, and blowers, and cause an increase in vehicular traffic which impacts surrounding commercial and residential uses, especially when multiple car washes are concentrated in a small area.

This framing is powerful. By codifying noise and traffic as components of a public health threat, Upland's council effectively translated resident complaints into a defensible legal basis for intervention.

The Problem Grew from a Regulatory Gap

The overconcentration of car washes in Upland didn't happen by accident; it resulted from a gap in the city's own rules. The existing Zoning Code (Section 17.22.060(E)) provided only five basic development standards for these facilities.

Critically, the code had "no minimum distance separation between another car wash." This regulatory loophole is what allowed the clusters to form. Without a separation rule, new car washes could be approved with a relatively simple Administrative Use Permit (AUP), leading to the current situation. This is a classic case of zoning regulations failing to keep pace with aggressive, single-use development trends, a challenge many suburban communities face.

The Solution Is a "Pause Button," Not a Permanent Ban

The city's response is a temporary moratorium, not a permanent prohibition. The Urgency Ordinance acts as a "pause button" by establishing a mandatory minimum distance of one-half mile (2,640 linear feet) between any new car wash and an existing one.

This temporary measure is designed to give city staff time to study the issue and develop more "comprehensive development standards." In the long term, the city is considering other solutions, such as determining more appropriate zoning districts for this type of use or requiring a more stringent Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for future applications.

A Lesson in Local Control

Upland's "pause button" on car washes is more than a niche local ordinance; it's a powerful lesson in proactive urban management. By identifying a problem, tracing it to a regulatory gap, and implementing a targeted, temporary solution, the city is reasserting control over its own development patterns.