64.0°,
Light Rain Proposed gas station awaits zoning board approvals
Valley Stream’s Board of Zoning Appeals has reviewed several applications from 122F Realty Corp, owners of a vacant gas station on the corner of East Sunrise Highway and Woodlawn Avenue.
The company wants to re-open the site as a Valero gas station, adding and upgrading the site’s signs and offering 24-hour self-service. However, the proposed plans call for a variation from the village code, which does not permit self-service on property of less than 10,000 square feet and close to residential areas, such as this site at 192 E. Sunrise Highway, which has been closed for nearly a year.
Attorney Kevin O’Brien, of Murphy, Bartol & O’Brien in Mineola, appeared before the BZA at a Sept. 6 hearing, explaining the company’s wishes. Since 1928, the station has operated under well-known gas retailers, including Amoco and Petro King. The new owners are seeking to maintain the station’s prior setup as a gasoline oriented service station with some ancillary product sales.
There would be a few cosmetic changes and upgrades, according to O’Brien. “Structurally, we are architecturally trying to upgrade the facility operationally,” he said.
However, zoning board members had some reservations. Chairman Ken Bond expressed concerns that a self-service operation would create traffic jams, disturbing residents and disrupting the flow of cars on Sunrise Highway and Woodlawn Avenue. He said that most people would rather wait for an available pump rather than risk running out of gas driving to the next station. “You really need to have room or adequate room for the cars,” he said.
Chris Tartaglia, a licensed professional engineer with High Point Engineering working for the realty company, disagreed and said the station would essentially self-monitor itself. If the site was too crowded, he said, drivers would continue on to another gas station to avoid the wait. Thus, that would prevent any congested traffic there.
The station sits on 5,380 square feet of land and is located adjacent to a residential district boundary line. Essentially, the two-island, four-pump station would be both equally self- and full-service, with the latter available only during certain hours, according to O’Brien. There would also be a convenience store for customers.
At the Sept. 20 decision meeting, the board postponed the vote on whether to allow self-service for a later date, after O’Brien submits more information.
In addition, the board also put off a decision on the company’s proposed 20-foot high free standing Valero sign. They are asking the company to submit new plans for a sign that matches the size of an existing one at another of the company’s locations, the corner of Franklin and Corona avenues in North Valley Stream. The zoning board’s decisions are expected in October.
The board did vote for granting sign variances for the company’s proposed three commercial mounted canopy signs.
