Gate Petroleum Co.’s plans for a Brooklyn gas station and convenience store made their way through the city approval process without much pushback — until recently.
An appeal last month was filed by Kay Ehas in opposition to Gate’s site design for the planned store at Park and Forest streets.
The Downtown Development Review Board approved six deviations and a sign exception for the project, which Ehas says don’t meet urban, streetscape or site designs or guidelines for redeveloping the area.
Ehas contends the convenience store portion of the project should be adjacent to the public street with the gas pumps in the rear.
The site plan approved by the DDRB has the store in the back with 20 gas pumps facing the street.
Gate representatives during the DDRB meeting in March said the plan approved was the only one that worked, as fuel tanks needed to be near the dispensers to meet state requirements.
The company also designed the site for store deliveries in the back of the building.
Ehas’ appeal includes pictures of other urban areas that have implemented more pedestrian-friendly designs. Those types of features were part of the Brooklyn Master Plan approved in 2004.
“This project should undergo another level of review to determine if the deviations granted are warranted,” Ehas said in her letter to Aundra Wallace, CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority.
The DIA board had scheduled a hearing for 2 p.m. June 14, but Wallace said a quorum could not be researched. A new date has not been announced.
Gate and Ehas could reach a compromise on the issue.
If not, whatever decision the DIA reaches could be appealed to City Council. Additional appeals could be heard in court.
The Brooklyn appeal comes weeks after resolution of another Gate project in Atlantic Beach. In that case, residents didn’t want to see the store approved because they said it will negatively impact their neighborhood.
The Atlantic Beach Commission sided with Gate to allow the project with some changes.
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