October 27, 2026 – Village of Germantown, WI – A new car wash may be coming to the Village of Germantown, as Jax & Jilly’s Car Wash is exploring plans for a 17,500-square-foot facility along Mequon Road east of Maple Road.
According to the plan commission agenda, the Jax & Jilly’s Car Wash project would occupy about 2.7 acres in the Lannon-Mequon Road Corridor. The property is currently zoned B-3 General Business District.
Click HERE for plan commission presentation
Plans call for a car wash building oriented east to west to improve traffic circulation and visibility along Mequon Road. The facility would include a wash tunnel and what the applicant describes as Jilly’s first fully indoor, climate-controlled vacuum and mat-cleaning center.
The enclosed vacuum area is intended to improve the customer experience while reducing exterior noise.
The proposed building would incorporate a Germanic architectural design, with half-gabled roofs, brick exterior materials and varied brick banding intended to complement the community.
Jax & Jilly’s anticipates employing about 15 people, with a maximum of five employees per shift. Proposed hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Under the preliminary traffic plan, vehicles would enter from Mequon Road on the north side of the property, proceed through a gatehouse and wash tunnel, then exit east onto Mequon Road or continue to the indoor vacuum center.
The proposal also includes a Certified Survey Map to divide the property into two lots. The car wash would occupy Lot B, while the approximately half-acre western parcel, Lot A, would be reserved for future commercial development. A coffee kiosk was mentioned as one possible use for the smaller parcel.
Click HERE to see other nearby locations of Jax & Jilly’s Car Wash
Traffic was identified as an issue for the Plan Commission to consider as the project moves forward.
A traffic impact analysis submitted with the proposal found that conditions already meet traffic signal warrants at the Mequon Road and Maple Road intersection, as well as the Mequon Road and Lannon Road intersection.
According to the report, the need for a signal at Mequon Road and Maple Road is based on the type and number of accidents at the stop-controlled intersection. At Mequon Road and Lannon Road, traffic volumes meet the signal warrant.
The analysis estimates the proposed car wash would generate about 785 daily vehicle trips, including 85 trips during the evening peak hour.
While the additional traffic would contribute to congestion in the area, the report states the intersections meet signalization warrants under existing conditions, even without the proposed car wash.
The village previously reached an agreement with Kwik Trip requiring the business to contribute a proportionate share of costs for improvements at the Maple Road and Kleinmann Drive and Maple Road and Mequon Road intersections. Village staff indicated a similar cost-sharing agreement could be considered for Jax & Jilly’s.
Other issues identified for discussion include impact fees, landscaping, lighting and potential uses for the smaller western parcel.
The Plan Commission consultation is intended to gather feedback on the preliminary site design and building architecture. The consultation itself does not constitute final approval of the development.
The project would require a conditional use permit for a drive-through car wash in the B-3 General Business District, along with approval of a Certified Survey Map to combine and redivide the parcels.
At the meeting, there were questions about a landscaping plan, impact fees, traffic flow from the wash to the vac location, and coffee location tenant. 7 Brews was mentioned but not confirmed. According to one of the developers, the approximate investment including land is $8 million.
