A proposal to build a 4000 Sq. Ft gas station that is two stories high, has been made in the city of Lacey. This will be located on the corner of Campus Glenn, and London Lp NE. At this time, the neighborhood and civilians of Lacey have voiced the following concerns: 

1. This is a residential area with a park.
2. The park is frequented by children directly across the street from the proposed gas station and convenience store.
3. Existing commercial services such as this proposal already exist within a few miles. There are already two other chevron stations on martin way, one on Marvin Road, Costco and Safeway gas is available nearby and Some Arco stations... As for the convenience store, two blocks away down Willamette in the little business park, there is the School House Coffee.
4. All located in Commercial areas....and easily accessible to Meridian Campus residents. LESS than 2 miles in any direction. Why would we need a gas station and a store next to our houses here?
5. Safety. There was a recent attempted luring near the park, and this would present more opportunities of the same.
6. Esthetics. Lacey is already home to clear cuts, big cement boxes and convenience stores. Where are the esthetics?
7. Dangerous intersection made worse. The proposed intersection is already insane at times, especially with Salish school so close by. It is an uncontrolled intersection where the cars on the opposing streets attempt to get on and off Willamette.
8. Eyesore for the neighborhood. We have a wonderful playground right there. We do not want a gas station at the entrance of our neighborhood.
9. Home values: Homes purchased because this was a beautiful neighborhood. One of the reasons we purchased our home in this area was to be away from such businesses and live in a fully residential area. If we wanted convenience at hand, we wouldn’t have purchased a home in a residential area like the one we live in. We would have gone anywhere else in Lacey where they mix and match like there no tomorrow.
10. Proximity. This store would be literally in some people’s backyards.
11. Convenience store filth: Within the last few years, the AmPm store on Hawks Prairie Rd. (2 miles away and not in our neighborhood) had junk on the surrounding lot like shopping carts and blue tarps from people squatting right next to it.
12. Zoned for a church, not a gas station. On the original site map for this development, that lot was supposed to be for a church. Now we get a quick stop? An elementary school is scheduled to go into the big empty lot adjacent to Meridian Park. Now the kids would get a candy store just down the block and across the street ...?
13. Enough encroachment. This is a very bad proposal. It reeks of nonsense and poor planning on the part of the city. We have enough encroachment by light industry and commercial entities in the area...and it’s not needed when a drive of one or two minutes has those same services.
14. Money: First the city allowed a huge Home Depot warehouse and then the future 200 apartments that will be off of Hawks Prairie Rd. It appears that money is more important to the city than the people who live in it. Why not a half of a cent increase in sales taxes so all of Lacey can feel the pain of this instead of our neighborhood?
15. Traffic and dangerous intersection. Is the city going to pay to put in a traffic light for what will become a dangerous and busy intersection, or make other acceptable changes for the kids who would try to cross that street with the extra traffic? And do not say the kids would walk a block to an existing crosswalk---they won’t.
16. The Future. Peaceful farmland and wooded areas along the sound has been destroyed. It goes on and on. The hidden place of Lacey is no more. It’s a California layout in the making. Look at San Bernardino and other outlying areas of LA. Resources will be limited, and people will have to pay.
17. Criminal intent. People with criminal intent or people who would lure kids hang out at convenience stores. This is a residential, not a commercial area. Convenience stores specially those open 24/7 are always crime breeding.
18. Kids. Do they realize how many kids are at the playground across the street? Do we really need a big increase in traffic next to a large playground?!
19. Money. As for the money the city is hoping for, having to put in a traffic light there might cut into that if the city is sued for an unsafe intersection after the first accident. This is a residential area, and not a money-making opportunity.
20. This letter of opposition was sent to the Lacey City Council. Dear Mayor and Lacey City Council Members, as a resident of Meridian Campus, I am opposed to the proposed gas station/mini-mart across from our neighborhood park and adjacent to private homes. This type of business is not needed or wanted in my neighborhood. There is a gas station/mini-mart two miles to the west, another one two miles to the south and two more two miles to the east. I feel that this type of business only degrades neighborhoods. Please reconsider this proposal. Businesses of need in our neighborhood: small grocery/produce/farmers co-op, neighborhood cafe/restaurant/bakery/ice cream shop, library, gift/flower shop, gym/exercise studio. I love the feel of our neighborhood and want businesses that will enhance the residential vibe not destroy it.
21. Washington state has a 1000 foot buffer law. That prohibits the sale of alcohol, tobacco products and hemp products within that zone. Alcohol and tobacco will be sold in the mini mart portion. This applies to schools and playgrounds. https://lcb.wa.gov/mjlicense/distance_from_restricted_entities There is also a park in Campus Pointe that might be closer to the AM/PM if Meridian Park doesn’t meet the distance limit.
22. How do we know this is just one gas station? Allow one little market, a little gas station, and soon there will be more zoning of the same, and a flood of commercial entities come in. Less than 1/2 a mile away there already is a coffee shop--- very walkable.
23. Location and Safety: The gas station would be located directly across from Meridian Park, a city park that is always full of children of all ages, many of whom walk from the surrounding neighborhoods to the park. Having a gas station within feet of the park with the amount of vehicle traffic it would bring would dramatically increase the potential for a child to be hit by a car crossing the street to the park. As a parent it is a nightmare scenario, you look up for one second as your child chases after a ball and a distracted motorist does not pay attention to the crosswalk.
a. The increased traffic to the area especially next to a city park and neighborhoods would bring all types of people to the area that would not usually be there, increasing the potential for crime of all types in the area including risk to property and persons.
24. There are several environmental risk-factors for people living next to a gas station, including but not limited to,
a. irrevocable damage to ground water supply in the area,
b. increase risk of cancer,
c. inhalation of harmful chemicals,
d. the proposed gas station is within 50 meters of houses and a park where children are always playing,
e. it will expose those children to aerosols that are proven to increase the risk of cancer. Here is a study by the University of Columbia that better articulates my argument of the environmental risk factors of living next to a gas station. https://fossilfuel.com/is-it-safe-to-live-near-a-gas-station-scientists-point-to-numerous-health-hazards/ 4.
f. With a gas station at the intersection, it would require a stop light to be constructed at the intersection of Willamette Dr NE and Campus Glenn Dr NE to control the flow of traffic going into and out of the gas station.
g. Having a gas station next to the neighborhood would reduce the home-value of the houses in the surrounding neighborhoods, the average of which is above $400,000.
h. I bought my house three years ago and would not have bought a house next to a gas station. I think that it is a terrible idea to consider placing a gas station in that location and will drastically reduce the appeal of the area and increase the risk for criminal activity and unfortunate accidents.
25. Homeless magnet. Unfortunately, these gas stations can become a homeless magnet. Most of them accept EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer). We already have a serious homeless problem in Olympia/Lacey and it does not seem to be getting any better.
26. Permitted usage. The permitted uses under code 16.36.020. It appears gas station is listed but has a (c) next to it for conditional uses. At the bottom of the page with the list of permitted uses, it states: "conditional uses, conditional use review and approval." When I click on the link for conditional uses, it states: " Conditional uses" means certain uses which, because of special requirements, unusual character, shape or size, infrequent occurrence, or possible detrimental effects on surrounding property and for other similar reasons, may be allowed in certain districts only by granting of a conditional use permit by the city council."
27. Additionally, in the neighborhood commercial code section under Environmental performance standards, code 16.36.030 under section B states," General Character. Developments in this district shall be characterized by small buildings, low traffic generation, considerable walk-in trade, moderate lighting, and quiet operations." A gas station would not meet these requirements. It would increase traffic with additional cars to this area to get gas and go to the convenience store. I do not see this being a mainly walk-in trade since people will need their cars to get gas.
28. External Lighting: usually gas stations have bright lights on at all times since most gas stations are open 24 hours per day. What will this do to the property values of the homes a few feet away?
29. Noise: If people are getting gas in the middle of the night this would also not be a quiet operation for the neighborhood located next to the gas station. Under code 16.36.010, which talks about the intent. The code states under section C: "Limit such development to area where local economic demand, local citizen acceptance, and appropriate design solutions assure compatibility with the neighborhood."
30. Tanker trucks would have to go up and down Willamette to deliver fuel to the gas station. That is dangerous to our neighborhood.
31. Underground fuel tanks are like bombs. Do we want that across from a park and within feet of kids playing and the neighboring houses?
32. Why is this gas station already in “escrow” without being approved, and without the neighborhood’s voices being heard? It would be costly for the owner of the proposed gas station to get this far and be denied. What is going on? Why would it already be in escrow without these approvals?
33. If the zoning for this was originally for a church, and now the attempt is being made to make it a convenience store, then it shows the zoning can change. This is not a done deal. As neighbors, we have opinions ranging from having nothing on that corner in order to maintain our neighborhood, to a variety of much less invasive ideas.

Please sign our petition and send an email of concern to all the of the addresses below: 

aryder@ci.lacey.wa.us

Sseymour@ci.lacey.wa.us

cpratt@ci.lacey.wa.us

LGreenst@ci.lacey.wa.us

MSteadma@ci.lacey.wa.us

CCox@ci.lacey.wa.us

EKunkel@ci.lacey.wa.us

MMiller@ci.lacey.wa.us