SLO County could get a new hotel and car wash combo near Highway 101
Arroyo Grande may be in line for a new hotel and car wash — all on the same piece of land.
Located on a triangular 1.57-acre lot on the southeast corner of North Halcyon Road and El Camino Real, the project would consist of 22 hotel rooms and an automated drive-through car wash.
Currently, an abandoned auto shop occupies the space where the hotel would be built, backed by a pair of smaller lots that would be merged with the larger parcel to accommodate the car wash.
At its Nov. 19 meeting, the Arroyo Grande Planning Commission voted 3-0 to approve the project, with commissioners Kevin Buchanan and Jamie Maraviglia absent, paving the way for construction to get underway.
However, though the project has approval to move forward as planned, applicant Hamish Marshall — who also owns SLO Brew, Rod & Hammer, the Rock, SLO Brew Lofts and the Quiky Car Wash properties, according to his website — said the project is still seeking an operator for its hotel.
“It’s not something I want to operate — it’s almost like coming and doing a retail development,” Marshall said. “It doesn’t do me any good to have a lot that’s empty and that I can’t contribute to another business because that’s just a drag on financials.”
What will new hotel car wash combo look like?
During the Planning Commission meeting, Marshall said the automatic car wash would be operated by Sun Day Carwash, which operates four other car washes in San Luis Obispo County.
According to the staff report, the project calls for the construction of a 24-foot car wash tunnel facing the north side of the property, along with parking and car vacuum spots bordering El Camino Real.
Behind the tunnel, the 22-unit hotel listed as “Hotel Halcyon” in renderings would stand two stories high, with prefabricated hotel rooms clustered around a swimming pool and entry building.
Each unit would be approximately 230 square feet of interior space and have access to a private 115-square-foot balcony, according to the staff report.
The car wash would be accessible by a pair of driveways on El Camino Real, while parking for the hotel would be accessible by a pair driveway on Faeh Avenue, which borders the southern side of the property with residential homes.
During public comment, several residents said they were overall happy with the proposal but took issue with aspects such as noise from the car wash, parking and increased vehicle traffic through the Faeh Avenue neighborhood.
Bob’s Car Wash owner Bob Diaz said he was concerned about the growing number of car washes in the Five Cities area — a sentiment echoed by Planning Commission member Bruce Berlin during the hearing.
“Pismo Beach has now approved a cruise-through car wash less than a mile away from our location,” Dios said. “I just don’t see how we need two more car washes.”
Marshall said if no partner for the hotel can be found, the hotel portion of the parcel will be redeveloped under a different use. As a result, a construction timeline is not set yet.
“I know the car wash works, and we can operate and do well at it, and I hope the hotel can be the same,” Marshall said. “Like I said, we’ve got a couple of interested parties, but we don’t have a guarantee.”
