ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The Sheetz saga in Metro Detroit has been unfolding for months, with contentious council meetings and unanimous votes. Some communities have welcomed the gas station chain, while others have shown it the door.
Sheetz is looking to open 50 to 60 new locations over the next several years and is making significant headway. On Thursday, a public meeting in Allen Park will discuss a proposed site for the chain.
Bridgett Geftos, who lives next to the proposed site, expressed her concerns. When she was asked if she felt that Sheetz is getting preferential treatment, she replied, “Absolutely no question it’s preferential.”
Geftos’s property borders the site of the proposed Sheetz location at Southfield and Allen Roads in Allen Park.
“One of my biggest concerns is the fuel trucks all day long coming right down this little alley, just 40 feet from my house,” Geftos said. “Also, the drive-thru is set to be right here.”
While it’s not a truck fueling station, she still worries about increased traffic, light pollution, and noise from a 24-hour gas station.
“It makes me feel like it’s all about big business and nobody cares,” Geftos added.
Raida Adas has owned a Marathon gas station across the street from the proposed site for 23 years.
“I am begging city officials to take this serious issue into consideration when they make their decision, because it’s all in their hands,” Adas said.
Last week, Adas and others were dismayed when the planning commission agreed to rezone the site from retail to a gas station. On June 12, the zoning board of appeals will hold a public hearing and consider four variances.
Here’s what Sheetz is asking for:
- A 36-foot wide driveway for larger trucks, while other gas stations only receive 30 feet.
- The ability to store 78,000 gallons of fuel, almost double what other gas stations are allowed.
- To build its gas station 200 feet from another gas station, while others must be 500 feet apart.
“These ordinances are put by city officials to be followed, not to be broken,” Adas said.
In just over a year, Sheetz has gone from a single location near Metro Airport to gaining approvals to build 18 more across metro Detroit. Now, officials in Allen Park are considering whether to join the growing list of communities welcoming Sheetz.
“I ask city officials to listen to the voters who elected them,” Adas replied.
Geftos added, “They want to do whatever they have to do so that this business can be here. It makes me feel like, why do we have city officials that are supposed to represent the community when they’re not representing the community?” Geftos said.
In a statement regarding the potential move into the Allen Park neighborhood, Sheetz said, “Sheetz is committed to being a good neighbor in every community we join. That means listening closely, modifying plans to support our neighbors, supporting local organizations, creating quality jobs, and contributing to the vitality of the local economy.”