AURORA | A dispute over a proposed car wash in northeast Aurora took an emotional turn last week after a soft-spoken young man delivered a heartfelt speech that brought everyone in the city council chambers to their feet.
Public pushback at city hall over an approved QuikTrip “Bubble Bath” car wash on East Colfax and Airport Boulevard has ignited a land use battle, pitting a national chain against a locally owned car wash whose owner claims will go out of business if the new car wash opens nearby.
QuikTrip built one of its signature gas stations and convenience stores on the corner lot a few years ago. Earlier this year, QuikTrip owner Evergreen Devco Inc. applied to the city for a permit to build a large car wash on the same lot. The Aurora Planning Commission granted the building and use permit last month…