Letter to the editor: ‘Speedway does not address real problems’

0

To the editor:

I have attended all of the (Delaware) public meetings, planning commission and City Council meetings on the candy-coated Speedway plan, including last Monday’s council meeting.

From the beginning to Monday night, Speedway has avoided using the word “truck” as if it would bring on worldwide plague. Instead, they say that they merely want to build a “gas station” which the present zoning permits.

Planning commission and council both have trouble pronouncing the word “truck.” Try it.

The only people at all these meetings who do not have a problem with the word “truck” are the people adjacent to this project in the residential areas and all those who regularly use the traffic pattern at Hills Miller Road and U.S. 23 and will be dramatically affected by this proposed truck fueling station.

Speedway’s representatives were at Monday night’s council meeting to state their case. They may as well have stayed at home. Mr. (David) Efland, the city planning director, was their best salesman. He made a glowing presentation of all the great gifts and concessions offered by Speedway at great sacrifice to them.

Please spare me. Distances from residential areas to fuel stations, the convenience store, car parking, etc., were all very logical and not any sacrifice to them at all. They offered to not infringe on an existing waterway. No changes or infringements were needed anyway. They offer “to rebuild Hills Miller base/pavement to withstand the additional truck traffic.” This is a no-brainer; the city would definitely require that improvement anyway. Speedway will upgrade the fuel canopies and convenience store façade. Whoopee, are we the lucky ones.

Any ordinary person at Monday night’s meeting would have been impressed by the presentation. Concerned residents were not allowed to speak if they spoke at a previous meeting. Protocol, I guess.

All the candy coating offered by Speedway does not address the real problems there. Planning commission and council both are treating this Speedway plan as a slam dunk because the plan does not specifically violate any rules or requirements verbatim in the zoning code.

We are not talking a mom & pop doughnut/coffee shop with two gas pumps on one-third of an acre. We are talking about a “gas station” … with all the facilities covering plus-or-minus five acres. There will be 6-8 car fueling stations, plus three separate diesel fueling stations for “commercial vehicles.” These three stations are truck fueling stations.

A truck fueling station has no business in the city limits of Delaware, especially one that relies on a city street for ingress and egress, even with lane widening, etc.

Come on. Let’s get down to the facts. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck … it’s a duck.

Huey Long

Delaware

YOUR VIEW

No posts to display