Delaware City Council approves Speedway ordinance

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Delaware City Council has approved legislation that would allow the city to move forward with the development of a controversial Speedway gas station on U.S. 23 and Hills Miller Road.

The ordinance was passed unanimously with a 5-0 vote Monday. Council member Chris Jones abstained from the vote and council member Ken Shafer was absent.

More than a dozen members of the community attended the council meeting for the discussion of the Speedway development.

Now that the ordinance has been approved by council, city staff will work with Speedway on a final development plan that meets all codes, conditions and regulations. That final development plan then will be presented to the City Planning Commission for consideration, and then back to City Council.

Several presentations were given regarding the site from both the city and representatives from Speedway. Presenters went over several issues that have been sticking points for concerned residents near the proposed gas station and attempted to placate their worries.

Matt Weber, deputy city engineer, said a concern of several residents has been truck drivers parking at the gas station and sleeping there overnight. Weber and representatives from Speedway reiterated that the site would be a fueling station and a store, not a truck stop, and said there are no oversized parking spots.

Weber also addressed the concern of light and noise pollution and pointed out that a vast majority of the traffic at the station would be pointing north, into trees and much of the noise would also be dampened by nearby trees. Weber said the primary source of noise in the area would be U.S. 23, not the trucks at the fueling station.

Several members of the community gave council their input before the ordinance was adopted, including Delaware resident Jim Molina, who asked if another traffic signal should be placed north of the existing traffic light at the intersection between U.S. 23 and Hills Miller Road in order to keep traffic off Hills Miller. Weber said the traffic signals would be too close and said that Hills Miller Road will be expanded to accommodate the development.

The city’s staff report said the gas station would have seven fueling bays for passenger vehicles and four diesel fueling bays east of the store for semi-trucks. There would be 32 parking spaces, but “no parking spaces for semi-trucks are provided and no overnight parking signs would be posted throughout the site,” the report said. “Speedway has volunteered that their personnel would actively monitor the truck areas to ensure that no trucks are parking on the site long-term or overnight.”

The staff report also said, “The site would be accessed by a right-in/right-out curb cut on U.S. 23, while a full-movement curb cut would be located on Hills Miller Road.”

Speedway bought the 12.9-acre property in 2014, which was already zoned as a general business district. That zoning provides business uses, including a gas station.

Staff is recommending approval with 20 conditions, including one from the city’s planning commission: “No commercial, truck trailer, campers, or motor home traffic shall be allowed on the property for over one hour.”

Jim Molina asks members of City Council to consider adding another traffic light north of Hills Miller Road at the Monday night meeting.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/10/web1_DSC_0421.jpgJim Molina asks members of City Council to consider adding another traffic light north of Hills Miller Road at the Monday night meeting.

By Glenn Battishill

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Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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