By Barbara A. Preston for The Montgomery News | September 27, 2026
Flagship Carwash, a national chain with two facilities in New Jersey, is seeking a third in Montgomery Township on what is now a vacant, 3-acre weed-infested lot at 1026 Route 518.
Planner/Administrator Lori Savron told Township Committee on Sept. 17 that she and township officials have met with Flagship Carwash representatives and that an application to build the facility is forthcoming for the site located between Wawa and single-family homes.
The remedied Superfund site was formerly occupied by Princeton Gamma Tech, a now-defunct company specializing in x-ray and gamma ray detectors. It was then refurbished as an office building by a new owner, but a snow storm caused the roof to collapse. The building stood empty for many years until being demolished in January 2023 by the current owner, Renard Management Inc. of Brooklyn. Renard had made an application to build a huge self-storage facility on the site, however the zoning board unanimously denied that plan in Feb. 2025.
Advertisement
The Highway Commercial (HC) zone in Montgomery Township is a commercial zoning district primarily mapped along Route 206 from Route 518 down to Cherry Hill Road to accommodate auto-oriented retail, services, and commercial uses. If Flagship Carwash demonstrates compliance with the conditions established for the Highway Commercial zone, Savron said they may proceed to the planning board. [See conditions below].
According to Montgomery Township land use law, car washes are only permitted as a conditional use in a HC zone, and have the following requirements:
