August 23rd update: The project has been appealed and will go in front of City Council.  Contact City Council to express your concerns and oppose this project.

July 22, 2022: Krogers CUP (conditional use permit) was denied by the Planning Commission who, rightfully, saw no public benefit for adding another gas station, especially one so close to residential zones.

This is a huge win for the community and is a direct result of your efforts to SHOW UP and SPEAK UP. But the fight is NOT over…What’s next:

At the next Planning Commission meeting (Wednesday 8/3) the resolution to deny the permit will be officially finalized.Food 4 Less has 10 days from then to appeal the decision.

Krogers/Food 4 Less can show an amended version of their proposal, and City Council will also hear exactly why the Planning Commission denied their proposal.

What you should do:

-keep an eye on your mail, the Change.org petition, and the agendas for upcoming City Council meetings for the latest updates.

-Be ready to SHOW UP at a City Council meeting and SPEAK UP for your community. The City Council has the power to override the Planning Commission’s decision, if they choose. City Council can also introduce new bans on gas stations, especially ones so close to residences

 

Original petition :

• Krogers is planning a 5 pump gas station near a neighborhood in Cathedral City at the end of a neighborhood street with a middle school, co-op apartments, and several churches
• Krogers has done this in neighborhoods across the country, and with this gas station comes impacts on health, safety, environment, drop in property values for the entire neighborhood, leading to an impact on financial freedom- ie- if property value drops, locals can't even sell their homes to move away from this toxic nuisance
• Drop in property value also means drop in personal property taxes, affecting area schools, as well as future development of the neighborhood
• There is a current gas station across the street, and already an empty Family Dollar Store next door, which already has brought crime and pollution
• a 5 pump station closing at 9pm is also just a parking lot. People will continue to congregate after hours, bringing more crime
• CA is moving towards electric cars only in the coming years, so the financial viability of this project over the longterm is questionable.  What will Krogers/Food4Less do once their station closes and the land has been permanently ruined by the installation of gas tanks and the effect on ground water and health of the people that live and work in the area?
• Krogers has made news across the country with shootings and crime at their gas stations, including BY THEIR OWN SECURITY GUARDS- a 1 person kiosk, even with security, becomes a crime hotspot, and an easy google news search shows this.
• There are gas stations in the area going out of business and some for sale with existing infrastructures. There is NO NEED to build on an empty lot, ruining views, fresh air and quiet neighborhood life for everyone. There are more gas stations per capita here than any other place in the county. Targeting low-income neighborhoods to poison doesn't seem like a wise political move.
• Krogers has made news elsewhere in Southern CA about not paying their employees a liveable wage. When they unionize, and we will make it our life's mission to make sure they DO unionize, then what happens when the store closes, again, leaving more neighborhood blight.  Krogers closed TWO STORES putting hundreds out of work instead of raising pay by $4. How much is gas per gallon again?
• There should be no new gas stations, and certainly no new gas stations within 500 ft of a residence. Commercial buffer zone that makes sense to transition from high traffic area to a neighborhood that people want to live in and take care of
• This project affects traffic for Victoria, which locals at the senior co-op, the church, and the middle school down the street all use to walk. A gas station at the end of the block is out of the question.
• Krogers/Fod4Less spent TWO YEARS working with the planning commission, and yet did ZERO OUTREACH to the community- who are the shoppers and employees of their own stores. If this plan gets approved, then WE have to appeal it, and no one in can afford that right now with GAS PRICES the way they are.  IF this project gets opposed, then Krogers and their corporate team can appeal it, and prove to the City Council how this is good for the people or the environment, on occupied land we stole from the indigenous people who lived here first.
• The Planning Commission worked on this for TWO YEARS WITHOUT CONSULTING US until 7 days before a public hearing, that barely anyone in the neighborhood, the requisite 350 ft of the project, were aware of.
• The Public Hearing drew a crowd bigger than the commissioners has ever seen for a project, and they are "punting it to City Council", who will likely have this on their agenda in August.

 

YOUR voice makes an impact. CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE- let them figure out their slumping sales and quarterly earnings without bringing in a toxic gas station 135 ft from a house.

 

Please begin by signing our petition.  We will add updated resources.

City Council info here- https://www.cathedralcity.gov/government/mayor-council