Amid ongoing efforts to beautify and reinvent its image, Mundelein moved to block car washes from its downtown, just months after an automatic car wash business filed a zoning application for an empty lot along Highway 45.

Such businesses, with their low labor costs and monthly subscription fees, have gained popularity in recent years. Mundelein alone has five automatic car washes, as well as six gas stations with a car wash and three hand-wash options.

The Village Board approved text amendments removing car washes as an allowed use within the downtown zoning district, as well as creating additional use standards in other zoning districts. These standards include requirements for enhanced design, recycled water systems, and fencing or landscaping to keep vacuum areas out of public view.

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