By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
Purewash is opening a new express car wash in Steiner Ranch near Randalls with plans to be ready by mid 2023.
Located on 1.3 acres at 5145 RM 620 near Chase Bank, this is the last undeveloped parcel in Quinlan Crossing, said Purewash owner/operator Jeff Betzing.
“We’re at the very tail end of the city site permitting process in the ETJ of Austin,” Betzing said. They submitted plans initially in March. “It could be a couple of weeks or a couple of months, we’re at the city’s mercy. We’re optimistic (to start site work) by the end of the year.”
At the same time as the Steiner project, Purewash is tearing down an old car wash that had fallen into disrepair in Lakeway at 1501 RM 620. They will build a new express car wash there.
The Steiner and Lakeway communities are the type of higher demographic areas where Purewash wants to be. Additionally Betzing said there are not a lot of car washes in Northwest Austin or West Austin or in Bee Cave or Circle C.
Betzing worked in financial services technology in the Houston area and he moved to Dripping Springs in 2015 with his family. He had to go all of the way to South Austin to get his car washed. So on a whim he looked into building a car wash closer to his home. Not long after that he built a car wash round Hwy. 290 and Sawyer Ranch Road about a mile from his house. Then a national group, Zips Car Wash, approached him and he sold it to them in April of this year. Purewash has no affiliation with Zips.
Betzing said the approach at Purewash is different than many other car washes.
“We take a real responsible approach to water and recycling,” he shared.
They’ll be putting in six to eight treatment tanks underground that will hold some 20,000 gallons for recapturing water. They don’t waste water and will reuse any excess clean water to irrigate the landscaping.
“We have a robust underground water treatment plant,” Betzing said. “We go above and beyond what most car washes will do.”
He also shared that they “don’t use harsh chemicals to treat water which resonates really well in Austin.”
Twenty vacuums, compressed air lines, and microfiber towels will be available onsite included with the wash price.
The design of the car wash will mesh with the Hill Country with lots of glass and metal roofs with overhangs. “We’re not throwing up cheap buildings,” he said.
Betzing anticipates the project will take around six months to complete once construction begins.