Oppose to the New Gas Station by Harris Teeter in Broadlands

I have been thinking about the reasoning and how it will impact the community's overall quality of life in Broadlands if there were 1 or 2 more gas station built by Van Metre. There is an application for approval for one of them by Harris Teeter - and the vote will be on June 28th. (i think)

Residents have the right to speak up to convince the board that this request is not for the best interest of the community.

I urge the residents to take a look at this and consider to speak up if they feel the same way I do.

Attached is a map that shows

• existing gas station in Broadlands - Sunoco on Waxpool
• existing but not in service gas station facility at Safeway - which it can get back online at anytime by another tenant
• and Exxon by Panera.

The application for approval on the County's website is here https://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=3362 and the document is SPEX-2015-0014

For public hearing - the signage has been posted where most people will just pass by with their car and can't really stop around the corner of Wynridge Drive right after Moorview Pkwy.

For Convenience Purposes?
In the proposed request by Van Metre, there is 14 pump gas station, with convenience store, and auto service shop.

• Isn’t there already, VA Tire & Auto, grocery store, 2 fast food restaurant and a coffee shop for “convenience”?

Other impacts to think about?

• Broadlands is highly populated with young children who are vulnerable to polluted air.
• Broadlands residents spend a lot of times outdoors, at the pool nearby, biking, running and walking.
• Healthy lifestyle does not include fumes from more gas stations in the community.
• Adding additional gas station(s) to surround the community with more pumps will increase the air pollution. I say this because Van Metre also mentioned at the HOA annual meeting that they are looking into putting another gas station across the street from Safeway where they are building now.

About the air pollution:

• Lots of people in Broadlands and those who live behind Harris Teeter have children. They are very vulnerable to this type of pollution.
• Many people walk, run and bike along the paths and how would that effect the air you breathe.

ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE A RISK? HERE ARE SOME HEALTH RELATED INFO:
JOHN HOPKINS UNV. Small spills at gas stations could cause significant public health risks over time
Soil, groundwater may be imperiled more than previously understood http://goo.gl/FLZyLw

The Kensington Heights, MD Civic Association asked a Johns Hopkins University professor to investigate whether the Costco gas station presents a public health risk. http://goo.gl/PMbGBf
This community has been opposing this gas station for 7 years after the won in court.

The net result is that every gas station is an invisible smokestack. Its vapor plume extends across adjacent roads and neighborhoods. The plume's vapors dissipate naturally in wind and sunlight, but in urban settings they can impact indoor air quality in nearby homes. http://goo.gl/n9nTVZ

How can this may attract criminal activity:
Armed robbery in Ashburn Friday night - Saturday, Apr. 2, 2016 by Times-Mirror -http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/armed_robbery_in_ashburn_friday_night43
An armed robber fired shots into the Ashbrook Commons Shell station in Ashburn Friday night, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is reporting.

All Board members receive mail and calls at:

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
1 Harrison Street, S.E., Fifth Floor
Leesburg, VA 20177-7000 Phone: 703-777-0204

Comment Line: 703-777-0115 or email the Board of Supervisors' Office Directly email bos@loudoun.gov

If you have any questions and want to work together on this opposition, please contact me.

 

Recent gas station related crimes in Loudoun:

05/06/16 0645 hrs. 0717 hrs.- 20800 block Hardwood Forest Dr. Sterling - Larceny: Deputies responded to the area of a gas station where a subject had stolen merchandise and fled from the store. The suspect, Jacob D. Jenkins, 21, of Herndon, was charged with felony larceny.

Some gas station related crimes in Fairfax:
FBI Seeking Information About Serial Gas Station Robbery
The FBI is seeking information about a man wanted for a string of eight gas station robberies, including one in Arlington.

The robberies occurred in Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Richmond and Washington, D.C. One of these includes the late morning armed robbery at a Shell station on Lee Highway on Nov. 19., 2015.

• Nov. 15 at 11:48 am: Exxon Gas located at 8715 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA
• Nov. 19 at 11:34 am: Shell Gas located at 5630 North Lee Highway, Arlington, VA
• Nov. 23 at 12:05 pm: Valero Gas located at 5516 Mudd Tavern Road, Woodford, VA
• Nov. 25 at 11:24 am: Mobil Gas located at 10800 Fairfax Boulevard, Fairfax, VA
• Nov. 27 at 11:55 am: Exxon Gas located at 3535 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
• Nov. 29 at 12:23 pm: Shell Gas located at 6519 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church, VA
• Dec. 01 at 01:34 pm: Shell Gas located at 805 E. Parham Road, Richmond VA
• Dec. 04 at 08:59 pm: BP Gas located at 6701 Wilson Boulevard, Falls Church, VA

 

The Gas Station – An Inconvenient Neighbor
Published March 13, 2011
By Elizabeth Dillon, SouthStar

Gas stations have become an icon of Americana. In the early days of the American automobile, drivers bought gasoline at local pharmacies. As car ownership increased, a new market opened up for stations that catered to motorists and the first self-service gas station in the United States opened in 1958 in Omaha, Nebraska. Since then, gas stations have become ubiquitous; more common than grocery stores in urban and suburban settings. They are as numerous as package stores in some states, because many of them are both gas station and package store.

In our area, there are three gas stations on Moreland Avenue, between I-20 and Wylie Street to the north of I-20; and there are five gas stations on Moreland, between I-20 and Custer Avenue, to the south of I-20. The distance between Custer and Wylie is about 2.5 miles, so there are approximately 3.2 gas stations per mile along this portion of Moreland. Do we really need more than eight gas stations within 2.5 miles on Moreland.

According to census data, there are 161,768 gas stations in the United States, and Georgia is home to 4,695 of them. America leads the world in the rate of passenger vehicle ownership per capita, at about 800 per 1,000. With this many cars on the roads, gasoline is in high demand – the U.S. consumes half of the world’s gasoline. Driving is a central part of the American way of life, so it is certain that gas stations will continue to be a part of our landscape. However, it is also becoming increasingly clear that gas stations are not good neighbors in residential neighborhoods, and that identifying a suitable location for one should be done very carefully. When thinking about the benefits that a gas station might provide to a neighborhood, it is also important to consider the negative impact that it may have on your health, the health of your family, and the health of the community that it might serve.

In December 2010, Spanish researchers at the University of Murcia released a study on the effects of air contamination from gas stations. This study found increased levels of airborne chemicals within 150 feet of gas stations due to the evaporation of gasoline during the filling process. The greater the number of pumps at the gas station, the larger the area of contamination was found to be, extending up to 300 feet from the station. Perhaps the most harmful of these chemicals is Benzene. Benzene is a known carcinogen that has been shown to affect the central nervous system, respiratory track, and the immune system. After prolonged exposure, it has also been shown to cause brain damage, anemia, and leukemia. Toluene is another chemical that is found in gasoline vapors; and it is associated with cardiac arrthymias, liver and kidney failure, and developmental problems in fetuses.

In addition to potentially affecting your health, a nearby gas station may also affect your quality of life. Most gas stations are designed at a scale to accommodate large numbers of automobiles and tractor trailers, while low density residential structures and traditional neighborhood commercial centers are designed for a different scale – that of the individual resident.

Gas stations are often set back from the street with the pumps in front of a one-story building. To provide high visibility to passing motorists and fend off would-be armed robbers, gas stations are very well lit. This can cause light pollution to the surrounding area and can be a particular nuisance if the station continues to operate late into the night or 24 hours a day, as many stations choose to do.

Gas stations have large and numerous curb cuts to allow for the easy flow of traffic, but these curb cuts interrupt the sidewalk and create an unpleasant and unsafe environment for pedestrians and bicyclists. This kind of environment discourages walking. The website www.bicycleuniverse.com states that walking is 36 times more dangerous than driving in the United States due to the lack of safe places to walk. Atlanta is already the 10th most dangerous city for pedestrians according to a report from the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. Pedestrians in the city account for 11.8% of all traffic deaths, despite the fact that only 1.3% of Atlanta’s workers walk to work. The presence of an auto-oriented business such as a gas station near your home will actually decrease your transportation options by creating an unsafe and undesirable environment in which to walk.

A gas station will not only impact the quality of your life, but also the quality of life of future residents of the neighborhood. The construction of a gas station will impact the landscape for generations, as gas stations are not easily converted into other uses. We have seen some creative reuses of old filling stations in parts of our neighborhoods as restaurants or bars, but these were the filling stations of yesterday, which had a relatively small footprint and which were of a scale that was consistent with the rest of the neighborhood. Today’s gas stations are four or five times the size of a typical urban residential lot, and draw much more traffic than a 1950s filling station with two pumps and an attendant who checked your oil and cleaned your windshield.

The pumps, canopies, and building that you see above ground may seem easy to demolish, but a bigger challenge is found below the surface in the large underground fuel storage tanks that serve the station. The removal of these tanks, and cleanup of any contamination caused by leaks from them, is a very involved and expensive process that will make that site undesirable for future development. LUST, or leaking underground storage tanks, is an undesirable consequence of having a gas station next door or even down the street, as gasoline or diesel fuel that leaks from these tanks can move great distances below ground and can reside there for decades, also having an impact on those adjacent properties.

Not only does the construction of a gas station create negative health impacts to a neighborhood, it also effectively prevents the development of a project on that site which may have had a positive impact on the neighborhood. The gas station will likely stay there for at least fifty years and will be a reminder of the missed opportunity for a development that could promote a community’s vision for the future. Smart developments tend to increase transportation options and property values. They encourage residents to walk, bike, or run, and not to just remain tied to their cars.
As most of us are motorists at one time or another, it may seem convenient to have a gas station located near your house. There are already eight stations in and around our neighborhoods, so most of us already live fairly close to one. However, we should carefully consider the location, design, and impact of any additional gas stations in our neighborhoods as the documented health impacts and adverse effects on the character of the neighborhood suggest that it is anything but convenient in the long run.

 

Most drivers probably fill up on their way to work or on their way home from work... I am all for the convenience.

 

Where in the Harris Teeter shopping center is there room for a 14 pump gas station?

 

Thank you for posting this notice. You need to look at the proposed Plat. (https://www.loudoun.gov/documentcenter/view/120993 scroll down to sheet 6) They are going to squeeze it in west of the bank and the Harrris Teeter in what is now considered commuter parking.

I am opposed and will make my thoughts known.

 

What kind of Gas Station will it be? I'll only oppose if it's not a WaWa...

 

Also, does anyone know what is happening to the gas station by the old safeway in Broadlands?

 

There's a bit of misinformation in the original post. The applicant is proposing to build 14 gas pumps, a canopy, and a service kiosk only. There will be no convenience store or auto service shop. I'm with T8erman on the potential added convenience. Those who live in Southern Walk and take Wynridge to Mooreview to get to the overpriced Greenway may find it inconvenient to visit the Exxon by Chipotle either on the way to, or coming home from, work.

Every single document associated with this application is posted at https://interwapp01.loudoun.gov/WebLDAs/AppDetails.aspx?qsAppID=ZCPA-2015-0010&qsDirLnk=B

 

Not to mention competition.

 

Competition is fine, if it helped prices. All of the nearby gas stations have the same for fuel (and it is not a low one).

 

I reviewed the proposed plat - can't imagine how it would fit in where it's proposed without creating significant challenges of parking and just getting around when frequenting the other stores already in the shopping center. This is not to mention all the lost commuter parking as a result. I don't mind a gas station, but this location seems to only create a number of other problems.

 

I spoke with the planner in charge today, Rick Hancock. There will be no convenience store, only pumps. He mentioned that Harris Teeter is the one interested in gas station as part of their brand. I am guessing just like what Safeway had - here is what I found online. Basically, the intention seems to be a hook to get people shop at the store and get points to get cheaper gas - maybe.

It's not difficult to see that HT is struggling with business and I doubt that Broadlands store is making a profit. Between Ashbrook and Aldie there are 7 of them. The reality is that non of the grocery stores are able to compete with Wegmans for volume. It sad but it's true. Unfortunately - I think many strip malls will struggle years to come.

Bottom line - a gas station surrounded homes in Broadlands' will be a shame. I would not want to walk to HT or Walgreen anymore and smell gas being pumped. Blend's outdoor seating will be effected I am sure as well.

This isn't going to keep the high standard of living in the community but lower it. I rather not have a "who cares or whatever" attitude about this. Lowering standards is easy. That's just my opinion.

I am planning to attend the Planning Commissioner meeting as well as reaching out to the Board of Supervisors. In addition - I will reach out to Harris Teeter too. I am not the only one who feels this way - so let's see what we can do.

 

Commuter parking is not being lost. It is being transferred across the street near the Greenway entrance. That commuter lot will also have the parking surface improved.

 

I would rather have the gas station built now then down the road when it will most certainly be needed. The Exxon on the other side of the Greenway gets crowded often and with Metro coming, and more development, you think the Exxon and our Sunoco are enough?

As for HT, I bet they do better than you think. Plus, you wanna go to Wegmans for an item or 3 and wait in the lines? I will gladly patronize HT for the CONVENIENCE.. I can go to HT for a needed item and be home EASILY in under 10 minutes. Can't say the same about Wegmans can you.

As for Blend, the winds are almost always blowing east to northeast... away from Blend

 

I believe a gas station where proposed would not be a good idea. I would rather see it on the corner of Mooreview Parkway and Old Ryan Road, where it would be further away from the shopping center and surrounding houses. If HT is pushing for this they can at least put it over on the far corner of their parking lot near Demott Dr and Mooreview Parkway where nobody parks.

 

Sure, there are several locations better, but one has to have the property to do it.

 

Easy! the closest one.

 

Smart to invest in the future not on the dying industry...

On-Demand Fuel Services Could Make Gas Stations Go Extinct
May 20, 2016
The first modern gas station opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 1, 1913. It was a Gulf Oil station, where gas attendants refueled cars from pumps around a pagoda-style building. On its first day in business, gas sold for 27 cents per gallon.

As gas stations became ubiquitous, they shaped our roadsides and symbolized mobility. It's where baby boomers like my dad learned basic car maintenance; after the oil crisis of the 1970s, gas stations also connected us to foreign affairs. I work at a gas station in Pittsburgh, not far from that original Gulf Oil station, and I've always loved the way gas stations bring together people from all walks of life. Regardless of race or gender or class, everybody needs to fill up.

But the days of gas stations could be numbered. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, predicted they'd go extinct in the 2014 documentary Pump, due to the rise of electric cars. Over 300,000 people are on a waiting list to buy Tesla's Model 3 and earlier this month, General Motors and Lyft announced they would begin testing self-driving electric taxis within a year. Some experts estimate electric vehicles could become mainstream by 2040. And in the meantime, fuel delivery startups have already begun inching out conventional gas stations.

Companies like Yoshi and Filld—which some have described as "Uber for gas stations"—could obliterate gas stations even before cars stop using gas. Here's how it works: Through an app, customers can summon a driver to fill up their tanks, at any time and almost any place. Yoshi members pay $15 a month for the convenience and receive about 25 cents off per gallon. Non-members pay around 30 cents per gallon above the market rate. Yoshi also sells a mechanism so delivery drivers can open fuel cap flaps.

Filld customers have to leave their gas flaps open each time, and they're charged a delivery fee up to $5 on top of the price of fuel, which is matched with the cheapest nearby gas station.

Yoshi has thousands of customers in San Francisco, Nashville, and Atlanta. Filld serves Silicon Valley and San Francisco, but has plans to expand. Similar companies have popped up in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Seattle.

Yoshi and Filld each have a fleet of pickup trucks with 110-gallon tanks in the bed. That's the largest possible size allowed by law before a permit is required, and their equipment is certified by the Department of Transportation. Yoshi co-founder Nick Alexander told me his company is safer than filling up at a gas station, because his drivers use a grounding cable to prevent static electricity build-up (which is uncommon, but can cause refueling fires).

"Whenever you see the horror YouTube videos where something goes wrong, it's because there was a spark," he said. "We eliminate any chance of that."

Related: Hackers Are Targeting Internet-Connected Gas Stations

I understand the appeal. Most of our customers have made it perfectly clear that they don't like gas stations: It's another stop on the way home, it's crowded, other drivers can be pushy and rude, and the stations can be dangerous at night. Gas stations don't have a lot of fuel options either—most stations only offer gasoline; methanol, hydrogen, or compressed natural gas pumps would require renovations so expensive that most gas station owners won't do it without grants.

Yoshi and Filld hope to change that by making alternative fuel sources more accessible. Christopher Aubuchon, the CEO of Filld, told me "our equipment can handle ethanol and methanol right now." And Alexander, from Yoshi, said his company is "less interested in gas than we are for paving the way for hydrogen cars."

Like a future where electric cars are ubiquitous, it might be some time before alternative fuel becomes the norm. Roughly 40 million gas tanks are filled each day, and going to the gas station seems ingrained into our culture, environmental concerns notwithstanding. Unlike Uber and Lyft, which were successful in part because the taxi industry was already vulnerable, the gas station industry earned record profits the last two years.

Jeff Lenard, the Vice President of Strategic Industry Initiatives for the National Association of Convenience Stores, has doubts about the future of fuel delivery. "There's a reason people don't pay for full service at gas stations anymore—it's cost," he told me.

Indeed, gas station attendants exist almost exclusively in states like New Jersey and Oregon, where state laws prevent people from pumping their own gas. Aubuchon hopes Filld drivers will become a 21st Century version of the attendant, by washing windows and checking air pressure in addition to filling up the tank.

But what about all the other conveniences that gas stations offer—the hot coffee, the snacks, the lottery tickets? If the gas station's days are numbered, where will people have the chance to rub shoulders with people from other walks of life?Aubuchon hopes parks will become the next community hub, but that seems too idealistic. And other community spaces—like grocery stores or shopping malls—are slowly being replaced by on-demand delivery services.

Last year, Sheetz—one of the country's biggest gas station chains—opened a fuel-less store with space for 200 people. It sells all the conveniences of a gas station, minus the gas. In the future, Sheetz could start delivering food and alternative fuel through an app too, and eventually, in theory, people could order Sheetz slushies through an app while waiting for their car batteries to charge.

Whatever the future holds, one thing is clear: The gas station where I work, like that very first one in Pittsburgh, will one day be a relic of the past.