Speedway plan upcoming?

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Plans for a possible Speedway gas station and convenience store at U.S. 23 and Hills-Miller Road could be heard as soon as August, a city official said.

“It is possible that the first step, the preliminary review, could take place yet this summer or early fall – August or September,” said Lee Yoakum, city of Delaware community affairs coordinator, in a statement. However, “no formal development application has been submitted.”

Last September, a town hall meeting was held between area residents, city officials and Speedway representatives. At that time, Speedway was considering having three lanes of pumps for semi-trucks to fuel up. Speedway said it would not be a truck stop, and overnight truck parking would not be allowed. However, many of the residents seemed skeptical, and were concerned about semi traffic on Hills-Miller.

“City staff has met face to face with Speedway several times since the town hall meeting to go over development plan submission requirements and to ascertain where they are in their internal process,” Yoakum said. “We believe it likely Speedway will pursue the traditional two-step development plan review process outlined in code which includes a preliminary review followed by a final review.”

The plans would need to be approved by the city’s planning commission and City Council, and the process would include public hearings.

“There will be multiple formal opportunities to receive public comment over a series of months,” Yoakum said.

In a recent email, Delaware resident John McGrail said Speedway “has looked at another property up the road by Delaware Dam but could not obtain water and sewage. … Speedway is back to the 13 acres at Hills-Miller and 23. It would be a large and expensive undertaking because the intersection is currently out of code as it operates today.”

Director of Engineering Services Bill Ferrigno said the developer has submitted a traffic study to the county and state.

“We are waiting on final comments from both jurisdictions before we can consider final city approval,” Ferrigno said in his reply to McGrail.

McGrail also said there were concerns about the upkeep of gas stations and its affect on property values, as well as whether the property is considered a wetlands. He has offered to show a slide presentation to the local group Sustainable Delaware Ohio.

Council members Lisa Keller, who chairs the planning commission, gave a status report in a response to Sustainable Delaware.

“As of right now, there has been NO formal submission of a development plan review by Speedway,” Keller wrote. “While I know there are many who are anxious to hear the details of Speedway’s proposal, quite simply we cannot provide what we do not yet have. Speedway is currently working through some of the engineering and traffic requirements the city has and when those issues have been worked through, a formal submission is expected. At that point, the submission will be available to the public as with any other development.”

Keller went on to say, “we love this community and the people in it and we want what is best for it just like you do.”

“At this time, we are unable to provide any comment,” said a spokeswoman for Marathon Petroleum Corp., which owns Speedway.

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