The fate of a controversial application seeking to add a car wash, a 7 Eleven store and four more fuel pumps to the Valero gas station at the corner of Southfield Road and Route 571 will be decided at the next zoning board meeting on Thursday, December 6, at 7:30 p.m. in meeting room A of town hall.
The second hearing was initially scheduled for Thursday, November 1, but was canceled due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy.
If granted, the lot would expand another acre to make room for the 4,896 square foot convenient store, 2,752 square foot car wash, and the upgrade from a four to an eight multi-field fuel pump.
Sam Surtees, the town land use manager, said since the application appeared in July, it has been before the Site Plan Review Board twice and has made the necessary revisions.
The potential expansion has nearby residents concerned about the impact on their quality of life, but the zoning board ensured proper measures would be taken to prevent any such effects. According to officials, the new facility will be extensively buffered, landscaped and bermed to prevent the business from having any impact on residences to the north.
Surtees said only “handful” of people have voiced concerns, but that both the applicant and the zoning board would address any issues. The Valero gas station, owned by Tri-State Petro Inc., has been around for 30 years and was last upgraded in the 1990s.
