By Jim Utter
Director of Journalism
A January Providence County Superior Court decision upholding development plans appeared ready to allow the construction of a long-awaited ScrubaDub Car Wash location in North Providence, Rhode Island.
However, the waiting game appears back on again after yet another appeal has been filed by petitioners against the project, according to a report by the Valley Breeze of Lincoln, R.I.
SrubaDub Car Wash is a leading car wash operator in New England, with more than 20 locations in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
The battle to build the new ScrubaDub location dates to November 2022, when the developer, Richkess LLC and ScrubaDub, received unanimous approval for several special use permits from zoning for the location.
In February 2023, International Apartments appealed the Zoning Board’s decision in Providence County Superior Court, stating that there was insufficient evidence in the record to justify the Zoning Board’s decision.
The superior court decision in January upheld the zoning board’s decision. Now, International Apartments is seeking a writ of certiorari to review the Superior Court’s decision since it does not have an “automatic right of appeal.”
ScrubaDub Marketing Manager Kory Vagos told the Valley Breeze the company is not able to provide any comment on the new appeal as it is still under review.
“As for the construction, ScrubaDub remains enthusiastic about bringing a new, state-of-the-art car wash facility to North Providence,” Vagos said. “Since receiving project approval from the town, we have been looking forward to beginning construction in the near future.”
The property’s upkeep has again been neglected over the last several months, with weeds growing all along the building’s perimeter.
The former Friendly’s restaurant on the site has remained closed since August 2019, after company representatives reported that the location was underperforming at the time.
In the appeal for the writ, International Apartments claims the zoning board’s decision was “infected with numerous legal errors, which are echoed in the Superior Court’s decision affirming the same.”
A win on appeal would appear to set the process back to the beginning, with the future of the Scrubadub location left in murky waters.
