Has anyone repurposed a former car wash into multi-tenant flex space?

[Ibrahim Mawri]

I’m evaluating a former car wash property in Metro Detroit:

• Just under 1 acre lot
• ~4,000 sq ft building with multiple bays (9 ft clearance overhead doors)
• Zoned C4 “Multi Use Commercial”

My concept is to convert it into multi-tenant flex space for auto-related businesses (detailing, tinting, wraps, light mods, etc.).

I’d love to hear from anyone who has repurposed a car wash (or other single-use building) into something else. Specifically:

• What were your biggest challenges (zoning, drainage, ventilation, fire code, utilities, tenant improvements)?
• Any surprise “gotcha” expenses (sewer connections, environmental cleanup, electrical upgrades)?
• Did you find multi-tenant flexibility worked better than one larger user, or the other way around?
• If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?

Case studies, lessons learned, or even horror stories would be very valuable as I evaluate feasibility.

Thanks in advance!