Some Michigan cities put brakes on new gas stations, car washes
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Updated Aug. 10, 2026, 8:14 a.m. ET
Moratorium seems to be a buzzword for elected officials in some Michigan communities, often related to data centers.
But a temporary halt on new gas stations and car washes has popped up, too, often in communities where there have been conversations about the Pennsylvania-based Sheetz gas stations and convenience stores coming into the market.
“The focus is to ensure we don’t have gas station row or car wash row throughout the city,” said Jonathan Lafferty, a Warren City Councilman, who with his colleagues in May approved an up-to-eight-month moratorium on new gas stations and car washes in Michigan’s third-most populous city.
