Oswego officials delay discussion of proposed west side gas station

Discussion on whether a gas station and car wash proposed on the village’s west side is the best use for the property has been delayed until the June 11 Oswego Village Board meeting.

Village trustees had been set to discuss the project at their May 11 meeting. But the developer asked at the last minute to defer discussion of the plans.

“I think they came up with some last minute things that they wanted to tidy up,” Village President Ryan Kauffman said.

At their March 7 meeting, the majority of Oswego planning and zoning commissioners voted against recommending Gas N Wash’s plans to build a gas station, convenience store and car wash on approximately 10 acres at the northeast corner of Orchard and Mill roads. Nearby residents also voiced their opposition to the plans.

The Village Board meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Oswego Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill, Oswego, or immediately following the Committee of the Whole meeting.

“I’m not sold that this is the best use for this property,” commissioner Rick Kuhn said prior to voting against the plans. “I think that among uses, this is one of the most intense uses we could allow there and it’s [open] 24-7, so I’m not sold on that.”

Attorney Lyman Tieman, who represents Gas N Wash, was asked about the planned hours of operation.

“The convenience store and the gas pumps and the diesel pumps are typically 24-7,” he said. “The car wash is typically 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.”

The property is zoned B-3 commercial service and wholesale district and is designated as high density residential in the village’s Comprehensive Plan.

“The proposed use is consistent with the current zoning of the site,” Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner told commissioners.

The proposed uses for a gas station and convenience store are permitted uses in the B-3 district and the proposed car wash is a special use in the B-3 district. Gas N Wash proposes to subdivide the parcel into two lots.

The first lot – which consists of 5.62 acres and is at the southwest corner of the site – is for the proposed gas station/convenience store/car wash. The second lot consists of 4.49 acres and is located on the east and north of the first lot. No users for this parcel are identified at this time.

Anne Sullivan, who lives on Wolverine Drive in Oswego near the proposed development, expressed her concerns about the project’s impact on nearby homes.

“I think we expected possibly some retail, a restaurant, smaller office buildings, that kind of thing,” Sullivan said in talking about possible plans for the land. “That is a residential entrance there and that is going to be a big safety concern for the bike pedestrian path that goes along Mill Street.”

She voiced concerns about the potential noise the development would generate.

“We have a problem with Orchard Road as it is,” Sullivan said. “Motorcycles are ramping it up over 100 miles an hour on a regular basis. It’s like a launch pad there.”

Sullivan requested that a wall be built to block sound, noise and traffic coming through the property lines.

David Jacobs, who lives on Bucktail Drive, was worried about the additional traffic the gas station would create. He said Mill Road already has traffic problems.

“In the afternoon, you try to turn from Mill Road onto Bucktail and it’s almost impossible,” he told commissioners. “Traffic on Mill Road is almost like Route 34. I don’t think Mill Road can support the additional traffic for a gas station. Adding to that, you have the cricket stadium going up and you have the concert venue across the street. I think more consideration needs to be given to expanding Mill Road and putting some turn lanes in before you do anything.”

The petitioner has since revised the site plan to take into account the planning and zoning commission’s comments. The lots have been revised to provide for a buffer between the car wash and the townhomes to the north.

The buffer yard provided is approximately 100 feet wide and contains an 8-foot berm with landscaping including evergreen trees to provide year-round screening.

A solid sound attenuating fence is proposed along the entrance and exit of the car wash to deflect sound from heading north to the townhomes.