PLAIN TWP. − Despite rumors to the contrary, the planned use for the former Rite Aid pharmacy on Middlebranch Avenue NE and Easton Street NE will be strictly rated G.
The township has approved plans for the construction of a car wash at the site.
Despite that, people on social media have claimed that a strip club or adult store is coming to the location, which would not be permitted under the township’s zoning code for a B-2 business district.
The rumors and volume of phone calls to the township led Trustee Brook Harless to read a statement at the trustees’ meeting on Nov. 25.
“We can confirm that the site is slated to be a car wash. Our zoning office has received two permit applications for a project titled Star Wash Easton. One for the site/shell phase and one for the interior renovations,” Harless said.
She noted that the Stark County Regional Planning Commission in March had approved a site plan that included vacuum stations, pay stations, dumpster, enclosure, retaining wall, walkways, paving and parking. She said the plans approved by the township’s zoning office included all these elements.
“We understand this topic has generated a significant amount of interest, phone calls and speculation on social media,” Harless said. “That’s why we thought it was important to provide this update publicly and transparently.”
A search on Facebook shows people, without citing credible sources, have circulated rumors that at least two other former Rite Aid sites in Northeast Ohio counties would become strip clubs.
New Plain Township car wash work has started
It’s not clear when the Star Wash Easton car wash will open.
Contractors were seen working at the site on Dec. 16. Construction vehicles, including backhoes, were parked by the building. The Rite Aid signage had been removed.
Charles Shalenberger, the township’s director of zoning, said the new owner plans to keep the structure intact while constructing drive-thru lanes.
A message seeking comment was left on Dec. 16 for Craig Sanders. He is the president of Progressive Auto Group in Massillon and is listed in state incorporation records as the statutory agent for Kaibab Land Development. The business closed in May on its $1.68 million purchase of the 1.69-acre site at 2574 Easton St. NE, according to the Stark County Auditor’s Office.
Kaibab Land Development is also listed by Stark County as the owner of the land for the Star Wash Massillon at 2030 Wales Road NE in Massillon. It’s less than a quarter mile from Progressive Auto Group’s offices and Progressive Chevrolet dealership at 8000 Hills and Dales Road NE.
The new Star Wash will be 0.3 miles south of Big Car Wash at 6636 Middlebranch Ave. NE. Several people on the Nextdoor social media site complained that the area did not need another car wash.
Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its stores nationwide. Once a major drug-store chain, Rite Aid shuttered its roughly 17 Stark County stores by September 2024.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Former Rite Aid in Plain not becoming a strip club. What’s in store?
Reporting by Robert Wang, Canton Repository / The Repository
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