Gas Station Plan Needs More Study, City Says

A request by a gas station to add a convenience store and a carwash needs further study, city officials said, setting Oct. 22 as the date for further public comment on the proposal.

Plans for the Unocal station at 25912 La Paz Road call for demolishing the existing building and replacing it with a 760-square-foot convenience store, a 1,033-square-foot car wash and 12 canopied gas pumps.

City Council members said they cannot make a decision on the expansion plan until city staff can determine how a driveway that would be built on the north end of the property would affect traffic.

“I’m not opposed to the carwash and store,” Councilman Joel T. Lautenschleger said. “I think it’s a real convenience for the residents. . . . I’m concerned about the lack of traffic mitigation.”

The oil company took a similar proposal to the Mission Viejo City Council last week for a site on Crown Valley Parkway. That request, too, was delayed so that officials can order further study of traffic patterns, officials said.