POWELL — Residents showed up to voice their concerns about a proposed gas station off Sawmill Parkway at the Powell Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Wednesday evening.
The commission reviewed and provided feedback on a sketch plan for a proposed fuel canopy and service building with a drive-thru on Bunker Lane, facing Sawmill Parkway.
No action was taken by the commission with the sketch plan review. The next steps would be a conditional use approval and development plan approval before the project could move forward.
The proposed Gas & Go would sit between the Bear Woods and Powell Grand neighborhoods on a 2.61-acre site, with a required 50-inch green space and no-build zone along the south side. The site also backs up to homes in those neighborhoods.
Entry to the gas station would be from Bunker Lane, with no access points directly on Sawmill Parkway.
Architectural Advisor Steven Reynolds said as the project progresses, he wants to see the size and scope of the fuel canopy, signage and landscaping along the south side of the property. He said it will be important to residents living behind the gas station, if it is later approved.
Commission member and Councilman David Lester said he will want to see specific lighting angled so it does not shine into nearby neighbors’ homes, a careful dumpster location selection, vapor mitigation plans and a required emergency notification system with the Liberty Township Fire Department.
He also mentioned he likes what nearby gas station Sheetz has done with a tall fence around the back of the property, which is next to the Seldom Seen Acres neighborhood.
Planning Manager Claudia Husak said the developer must work with planning staff to relocate parking spaces planned for the front, facing Sawmill, which is not allowed per the zoning code.
Residents share opposition to project at first hearing
Seven residents spoke during public comment to share their opposition to the proposed project at its first hearing.
Tim Golden said there is no need for another gas station.
“There’s a gas station that they just built on Seldom Seen, and then there’s two more at Powell Road and Sawmill Parkway, and now the UDF has one too,” Golden said. “That would be five gas stations within a mile of each other, which I really won’t think we need.”
He also cited limited privacy for residents in the winter, when the trees lose their leaves.
“It’s capitalism, I get it, we all know there’s going to be something there. But I just don’t think a gas station is ideal,” Golden said.
Jay Roberts, president of the board of the Liberty Bear Farms Condo Association, said there are eight gas stations within two miles of their neighborhood.
Roberts also said there are 88 residents in The Woods at Big Bear Farms association, and said he and others worry about property values.
“Our association is opposed to this project. We don’t think at this point there’s a need for another gas station, and we think it will definitely have serious impact to our properties,” Roberts said. “We have some residents that are within 50 and 75 feet of the fuel tank, dumpster area and the drive-thru area.”
If the commission does eventually approve the gas station to move forward, Roberts encouraged them to set strict conditions, including a high fence and aggressive setbacks.
Darlene Kelly echoed the concerns about property impacts.
“I was very upset when I received the postcard from you folks, because just days before that, I got my tax reassessment from Delaware County. So my concern is I’m gonna be paying higher taxes on depreciated property,” she said.
In an email to the city, she suggested increasing the southern setback behind the property from 50 feet to 100 feet, reducing the level of benzenes and other pollutants by using enhanced vapor recovery measures, installing more evergreen trees, and building a comparable 20-foot-tall opaque, wood-toned wall like the one at Sheetz.
Sham Sihabdeen, Owner of the Ivybrook Academy preschool that sits nearby, said he was also concerned about the environmental and health issues associated with the emissions.
“I want to emphasize the safety of the children at our school, also those next door. So it is very important that this should be carefully evaluated,” Sihabdeen said.
He also worried about the traffic, especially around parent pick-up times in the mornings and afternoons.
The commission meets again Nov. 11.
