Co-op to build corner car wash

“We wanted to look at a premium car wash offering to our members. This was just one of the pieces we wanted to add,” said Brown.

Work on a new Co-op car wash at the corner of 12 Street and 50 Ave. is already underway with space for future retail development.

Co-op CEO, Peter Brown, says the developer, Musgrave Developments Ltd., is currently cleaning up the property and burying power lines.

“Obviously, there’s older buildings that need to be removed from the site,” said Brown, who noted the design and planning of the project are also underway.

The Co-op issued a news release on Tuesday outlining plans for a 10-bay barn-style wand wash with vacuum systems along with a 2-bay touchless automatic wash similar to the one at their Ironwells Gas Bar at 4301 44 St.

The plan also calls for a small convenience store and self-serve pet wash units with a separate entrance from the car wash.

“We just wanted to add that little added touch. We know furry friends are pretty important in our families, too.”

The project will officially break ground in the coming weeks and is set to open sometime in 2024.

“We are really excited about the project,” said Brown.

“We have some space on the property for future retail development and we will continue to have that under consideration as we move forward.”

The project will revitalize that south corner of the city and create about 10 new jobs to serve Co-op members and customers close to where they live.

“We felt there is an opportunity in an underserved market to offer a modernized car wash system that is convenient for many members to utilize,” said Brown.

He said feedback from other co-op barn washes told them people with larger trucks prefer the wand wash.

“It is more purposeful for that,” said Brown.

“We actually made sure those bays would be a little extra wide when you pull into them so decent-sized