ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) – The Elk Grove City Council will hold a special meeting Nov. 12 to review several items, including an appeal of the proposed Maverik Gas Station, a project approved earlier this fall by the Planning Commission.

According to a recent city public notice, “The Planning Commission reviewed the project at its meeting on Sept. 18 and voted 4-1 to approve the project. On Sept. 29, Protect Elk Grove, a group of residents in the City of Elk Grove, appealed the Planning Commission’s approval of the project. City Council will conduct a de novo review of the project and may reverse, modify, or affirm the Planning Commission’s decision in whole or in part.”

Concerns about the project, proposed for Grant Line Road near the East Stockton Boulevard exit off Highway 99, emerged at the Sept. 18 Planning Commission meeting, with residents citing traffic, potential crime, proximity to homes and the possibility that the site could eventually become a truck stop.

City planner Kyra Killingsworth addressed those concerns, noting that the project would include a 6,000-square-foot building, 34 parking spaces and two fueling canopies, one with 20 pumps for passenger vehicles and another with five pumps for RVs, delivery trucks and semis.

“We understand these concerns but first off, this is not a truck stop,” Killingsworth said. She added that the site is surrounded by commercial and industrial businesses, about half a mile from residential areas, schools, parks and churches.

Project landowner Jim Gillum also spoke at the Sept. 18 meeting, emphasizing that the remaining parcel is intended for freeway-oriented commercial development.

 

The Elk Grove Planning Commission had a full room during its Sept. 18 meeting discussing the Maverik commercial fueling station and 24-hour convenience store at East Stockton Boulevard and Grant Line Road, east of Highway 99. Photo by Idaly Valencia

“This is a commercial center. It was contemplated for these types of uses when it was approved by the city,” Gillum said.

After reviewing public comments and project details, the Planning Commission approved the project with a condition prohibiting long-term parking to address resident concerns.

Protect Elk Grove announced via social media that it had filed an appeal, calling the project a “mega fueling station” and highlighting issues including traffic, noise, pollution and public safety. The group is urging residents to attend the Nov. 12 City Council meeting to oppose development.

In a letter to The Elk Grove Citizen, Protect Elk Grove said, “The recently approved Mega Maverik Fueling Station and Convenience Store at Grant Line Road and East Stockton Boulevard is not ‘just another gas station.’ It’s a 24-hour industrial fueling hub with two canopies that will draw a steady stream of cars, RVs and big rigs to an already congested intersection. This project threatens the safety, health and quality of life that Elk Grove families have worked so hard to build.”

The letter also noted, “Elk Grove residents are not opposed to growth. They simply want smart growth, growth that respects neighborhoods, values transparency and puts safety first.”

The City Council will consider the appeal at its 6 p.m. meeting Nov. 12 at the Elk Grove Council Chambers and could uphold, overturn or amend the Planning Commission’s approval.