An Express Car Wash Is Coming to the Old 1776 Shopping Center |
The Route 611 site will host Doylestown Fire Company training before it comes down |
Anyone who drives Route 611 knows the 1776 Shopping Center.
The aging plaza at 1776 S. Easton Road, at the corner of Edison Road in Doylestown Township, is about to get a second life.
Local businessman Jim Lonergan, who has lived in the area for 30 years, plans to replace it with Captain Clean Car Wash, an express car wash.
Before anything comes down, though, the old building has one more job to do.
The roughly 13,000-square-foot building will be turned over to the Doylestown Fire Company for live training.
Firefighters will use it to practice ventilation, breaching walls and search and rescue.
Those skills are hard to practice in a standard training facility, so a real building is a valuable chance for crews.
If you notice fire trucks and activity at the site in the weeks ahead, there's a good chance it's training, not an emergency.
Once the training is done, the building will be demolished.
In its place will go a wash tunnel of about 5,000 square feet, along with a row of high-powered vacuums for cleaning car interiors.
The wash will recycle its water, and the project says it will use less water per car than washing one in your driveway.
Lonergan has said the multi-acre site gives cars room to line up without backing onto the road, something a small corner lot couldn't do.
After years of looking tired, the corner is finally set for a change.
Dates for demolition and groundbreaking haven't been announced yet, but they're expected in the coming weeks.
We'll pass them along when we hear. |
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Can't wait for this. That stretch of 611 could really use a win.
The detail about cars having room to line up without blocking the road is huge. That intersection is already a pain.
Jim Lonergan specifically cited the multi-acre site as a key advantage for exactly that reason, no backing onto Route 611, which is already a busy enough stretch.
I'm loving this for the fire company honestly. Real building practice is so important and most towns don't think to do it.
I'll believe it when I see the shovels in the ground. These projects get announced and then nothing for months.
ChrisNWHa, fair point. Though the fire training part means at least the building has a use in the meantime. Something is already happening.
Hope they keep some green space on that corner. A big wash tunnel and vacuum row could look pretty industrial.
Nice to see a local businessman investing in the township instead of just a national chain coming in and taking over.
Shout out to the Doylestown Fire Company. Glad they're getting proper training time.
Agreed, the Doylestown Fire Company gets a rare chance to practice ventilation, wall breaching, and search and rescue in a real structure, which a standard training facility simply can't replicate.
Express car washes are everywhere now. Would have been cool to see something a little more unique go in there.
The fire training part of this story is honestly more interesting to me than the car wash part.
Kinda wild that demolition dates aren't set yet but they're already talking about it. Hoping it doesn't drag into next year.
Never thought I'd be excited about a car wash but here we are. That plaza is just depressing.
Just please make sure the entrance and exit don't cause more backup on 611. That road is already rough during rush hour.
Love that they're recycling the water. Small thing but it matters.
Jenna FalcoNot a small thing at all actually. Car washes use a ton of water so if they're genuinely recycling most of it that's a real difference.
I drive that stretch every single day. The corner really is sad looking. Ready for something new.
Route 611 really does not need more traffic at that corner. Car washes can get pretty backed up.
I love that he's a local guy and not some chain swooping in. 30 years in the area counts for something.
The training angle is what gets me. Really creative way to use a building before demo instead of just knocking it down.
Kim R.Seriously, most developers just demo and move on. This way the firefighters get valuable practice AND the building doesn't just go to waste.
It really is a smart use of an otherwise dormant structure, and those skills, ventilation, breaching walls, search and rescue, are genuinely difficult to rehearse anywhere else.
Does anyone know what the hours will be once it opens? Hoping for early morning.
Hours haven't been announced yet alongside the demolition and groundbreaking timeline, but we'll be sure to include those details when the project shares more.
Does anyone know what stores are even still open in that plaza? I feel like it's been half empty for years.
My husband is on the fire company. He mentioned they were getting a building to work in. Really valuable for the guys.
A local businessman doing this is better than some big chain swooping in. At least he's been here 30 years.
Thirty years in the community does carry weight here, Lonergan's familiarity with that stretch of Route 611 is part of why the traffic flow and site layout were so clearly thought through.
Lived here 20 years and that parking lot has been an eyesore basically the whole time. Good riddance.
Less water than washing in your driveway is hard to believe but I guess the recycling system makes it possible.
My kids and I used to get pizza at that plaza. Feels like a lifetime ago. But yeah it really has gone downhill.
Hope the new corner looks nice. That intersection has needed some attention for a long time.
I'll believe the groundbreaking when I see it. These projects always take forever around here.
The fire department practicing in a real building makes so much sense. You can't replicate that in a drill tower.
Those vacuum stations are actually the best part of express car washes. Hopefully they have enough of them so there's no wait.
Still gonna miss that old plaza. Feels like every landmark from my childhood is gone now.
I appreciate that they recycle the water. At least someone is thinking about that stuff.
The stacking lane thing is actually important. That little Dunkin on 202 backs up onto the road constantly and it's a nightmare.
Drove past there last week and honestly had no idea anything was planned. Good to know so I don't panic when I see smoke.
Good on Lonergan for letting the fire company use it first. That's a real community move.
I used to get my hair done at a salon in that plaza back in the 90s. Sad to see it go but it really has been run down for a long time.
Another car wash? We really need another car wash?
The fire training thing is such a cool idea. Smart way to use the building before it comes down.
About time something happened with that plaza. It's been an eyesore for years.
They haven't even announced a demo date yet and already people are planning their first car wash visit lol
I'm excited for this honestly. That corner has needed something fresh for years.
Hope the stacking lane is actually long enough. Some of these express washes get backed up bad on weekends.
The fire company getting a whole building to train in is really cool. Those guys deserve every advantage they can get.
So if I see smoke coming from there it might just be training. Good to know before I call 911.
dan_t87Glad they put this in the article for that reason. Smoke coming from an empty building would definitely have me reaching for my phone.
Exactly right, if you spot fire trucks and activity at the 1776 S. Easton Road site in the coming weeks, there's a good chance it's a training exercise, not an emergency call.
I'll miss the old plaza but honestly it's been half empty for so long it doesn't even count anymore.
Carol JenningsThat's exactly it. Hard to miss something that's basically already gone. A clean new building will make that whole corner look better.
You're not alone in that feeling, the article puts it plainly: after years of looking tired, the corner is finally set for a change.
The water recycling thing is interesting. Didn't know car washes used less water than a driveway wash.
If you drive 611 you know exactly how bad that corner looks. About time something happens there.
Linda H.Right? I pass it almost every day and it's been looking rough for years. That corner deserves better.
Good on Lonergan for letting the fire company use it first. That's a class move.
I grew up going to that shopping center. Little sad to see it go but it's been a mess for a long time now.
PattyFromDoylestownSame, I remember going there as a kid. But honestly nostalgia only goes so far when half the storefronts have been dark for years.
A lot of readers share that bittersweet feeling, and it's worth noting the old building still has one meaningful job left, serving the fire company before the lights go out for good.
Another car wash? We really need another car wash in Doylestown?
The fire training idea is so smart. Real buildings are way better for that kind of practice.
SuzanneKCan confirm from experience. Burn buildings are useful but a real structure teaches you things no prop ever can. Good on the owner for allowing it.
Finally! That place has looked abandoned for years.