Bye-bye, Burger King. Hello, Crew Carwash

A familiar eyesore – the ruins of a former Burger King restaurant at the corner of Highway 5 and County Road 4 (Eden Prairie Road) – may disappear in 2024.

That’s because the Eden Prairie City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 5, approved plans to build a Crew Carwash on the property. The preliminary approval was unanimous; Crew Carwash needs to return in a few weeks for final approval.

Why it matters: The automatic car wash would, finally, mean an end to the blight that is the southeast corner of Highway 5 and County Road 4. As part of this project, Crew Carwash would also provide at no cost some road right-of-way necessary for the state to improve the congested intersection.

Of course, it was also thought two years ago that the corner would soon redevelop, and it didn’t. 

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A Chicago franchisee, Cave Enterprises, had proposed to build a new Burger King to replace one that had closed at the intersection five years ago. Those plans were approved by the city in 2021, but the restaurant was never built, and Burger King began looking for another buyer for the property.

This time, Indiana-based Crew Carwash says it owns the site. Its representative said Tuesday that what remains of Burger King – including the dilapidated pylon sign near the corner – will be removed as soon as possible.

Crew Carwash says it will construct two brick and glass buildings at that site: one for washing cars and the other for cleaning car interiors. They currently have four locations in the Twin Cities.

The only hitch has been signage. Crew Carwash has proposed large signs on its building and another pylon or monument sign near the corner. That plan meets city code, but city staff has voiced concern that the sign nearest the corner could be a distraction for motorists at a congested intersection.

City council members Tuesday said they’re confident city staff and Crew Carwash can come up with an acceptable sign plan before the project returns for final approval.

Tuesday’s action included a public hearing, but no one testified at the meeting. The city received a small number of emails from residents who were either concerned about adding congestion to the intersection or who favored a restaurant land use over the car wash. City Manager Rick Getschow noted at the meeting that Burger King had placed restrictions on the property’s sale that prohibited other food uses.

Coincidentally, plans for a different car wash — a Mister Car Wash — were approved by the city in October at the other former Burger King site in Eden Prairie, across town at the corner of Flying Cloud Drive and Prairie Center Drive.