UPDATE 7/24/2023:
A Spokesperson with the City of Cape Coral reached out to Fox 4 and said its statement below was incorrect when it came to the amount of square feet that the Tommy Carwash Canal Fill project would fill.
Below is the adjusted statement:
This year (2023) the Army Corps of Engineers approved plans for the Tommy Carwash Canal Fill project for a canal fill area of 7,214 square feet, the approved permit is between the property owner and the Army Corps of Engineers.
ORIGINAL:
It's more than just another car wash — that's what people living along a canal in Cape Coral told Fox 4.
Over the past year, Fox 4 has reported on what people living off Santa Barbara Boulevard have called a controversial car wash being built along a canal.
Cary Richardson's home can't get any closer to the construction site where a new Tommy's Express Car Wash is being built.
“I see the canal getting decimated,” said Richardson.
If you ask Richardson or any of his neighbors, like Maggi Crouthamel, plans for the new car wash could have been placed anywhere else in the Cape.
“I mean quite honestly there is a lot across the street they could have purchased,” said Crouthamel.
Instead, Richardson said the days of his quiet canal are over.
“I wake up at 6:45 every morning to the beep beep beep of all the equipment,” said Richardson.
A signaling reminder of what is to come, now that Richardson said the United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) had approved the car wash's federal permit.
The City of Cape Coral said the permit also allowed the developer to fill in 80 feet of this canal, approved by the ACOE... leaving very little room, Richardson said, to undock his boat.
“The only recommendation I had (was) 'Hey Mr. Richardson, you need to accommodate the business, the City of Cape Coral, you need to sell the boat and buy a smaller one,'" said Richardson.
City of Cape Coral Spokesperson Melissa Mickey gave Fox 4 this response:
We did not tell him to “buy a smaller boat”. But what you’re referring to, regarding the filling of approximately 80 square feet of the Mast Canal, this is between the property owner and the Army Corps of Engineers. The property owner sought out the permit to fill 80 square feet of the canal and the permit was approved by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). City records indicate proper plans were submitted to the City for the use and the permit from ACOE also appears in our database.
Residents with questions/concerns regarding this permit are encouraged to contact the ACOE.
Neighbors like Crouthamel said the car wash would have a negative impact on wildlife, like the manatees she said frequent this canal.
On Thursday, Fox 4 spoke via email with David Ruderman from the United States Army Corps of Engineers corporate office, asking him to address these concerns. Ruderman said he was working on an update.
Mickey also responded to the city's role in this entire process, saying they cannot forcibly stop a business from developing a plot of land.
As long as the property owner develops their property consistent with the zoning of the property, and they receive the proper permits, the City is not at liberty to force them to build something different on their property. Meaning, the City does not dictate whether it should or should not be a car wash or a store, etc.
Richardson said he feels like he is in a losing situation and the only thing the car wash will do is devalue the price of his home.
"I only have three options: I sell it at massive loss, I file for foreclosure or... hope that the bank will accept the loss," said Richardson.
