Work has been underway on a future Blue Buffalo Car Wash franchise at 373 E. Fairmount Ave. The site was most recently home to Larry Spacc Lakewood Resale; a building on the property was recently demolished to make way for the new car wash.

Joseph Spino of Elma announced plans in August 2022 to put a Blue Buffalo Car Wash in Lakewood. Site plans called for the removal of the resale dealership and construction of a new 3,150 square foot facility.

Spino told Village Board members during a summer 2022 public hearing that the car wash would be drive-through and include vacuums along a sidewalk near the property. The facility would not be open 24 hours.

He estimated that construction would commence in spring 2023.

Construction on a new car wash has been underway along Fairmount Avenue in the village of Lakewood. The planned Blue Buffalo Car Wash franchise will replace the recently closed Larry Spacc Lakewood Resale. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

During site plan review, Trustee Ellen Barnes said she was worried about how busy Fairmount Avenue can get during the day.

“I have a traffic concern because Fairmount Avenue is so congested,” Barnes said. “It’s just not a nice highway, and Fairdale is a major access down here to the village. People use it and (I’m) a little concerned if people think they can wait in line and come out on there.”

Spino said the only entrance and exit to the car wash would come off Fairdale Avenue. He said more than 20 vehicles could be “stacked” in the parking lot before they go through the car wash itself.

Jeff Swanson, village code enforcement officer, recently told trustees that Little Caesars was moving back into a plaza on East Fairmount Avenue. The franchise pizza shop was previously situated on the eastern side of the plaza.

A sign outside Little Caesars states that the Lakewood location is hiring.

Swanson told village trustees that a business inside the Chautauqua Mall was moving into the plaza. He noted that a mattress store was in the process of moving in as well.

With the new businesses, he said the plaza will be full.