Despite the opposition of neighbors, the Board of Zoning Appeals approved a new laundromat planned for Whalley Avenue.
Since last September, Precision Wash N Dry has been drawing heavy fire from Whalley Avenue neighbors over its plans to open a laundromat in the Walgreens plaza. (The saga unfolds here, here, here, here, here, and here.) Neighbors are concerned that a laundromat will increase crime in the area and will not help them revitalize their neighborhood.
And they’re not done fighting against it. “This is absolutely going to be appealed tomorrow,” said Whalley activist Eliezer Greer (at right in photo), moments after the board voted three-to-one to grant its conditional approval to the laundromat. Board member Gaylord Bourne was the dissenting vote.
Greer, along with Whalley Avenue Special Services District (WASSD) chair John Vuoso (at left in photo), sat through the two and a half hour meeting just to hear the vote. Vuoso sighed and shook his head as the board discussed the four conditions that it would place on its approval of the laundromat.
The board reduced the laundromat’s hours to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, prohibited the installation of a pay phone, restricted window signage to allow greater visibility, and required the business to have a full time attendant.
After the meeting, Greer called these conditions “miniscule and petty.”
“They have no idea what they’ve just done,” Vuoso said. “They’ve opened the floodgates for laundromats on Whalley.”
“This is an irresponsible swipe against multiple organizations,” said Greer, explaining that the laundromat was opposed by groups like WASSD, the Whalley-Edgewood-Beaver Hill Management Team, and Whalley Avenue Renewal.
“Its absurd! It’s absurd!” Greer exclaimed, calling the board’s approval “very poor decision-making.”