PC 072512 - Laserfiche WebLink

Commission O'Connor stated that he is glad to see this back on the agenda. He disagreed with the statement on page 6 of the staff report that when this came back to the Commission in August of 2010, there were no Planning Commission comments on the removal of the gas station. He indicated that there was a lot of discussion: the Commission first looked at the corner coming into the driveway and that was not supported by staff; and the second time, the Commission looked all the way in the far back corner, and that was not supported by staff either. He stated that he wished stff had considered the middle location at that time because the Commission did vet this pretty well back then. He reiterated that he is just happy that it came back. He noted that they did a pretty good job this time around and that he is satisfied with what he is looking at. Commissioner Blank agreed that there were a lot of comments made and noted that he was also happy to see this back. He added that he was not convinced personally that the reason it was taken off was because of its location and that even if it were put in the middle then, it could still have been withdrawn. Commissioner O'Connor commented that he thought it was the location and that it was too close to Bernal Corners. He added that there was a lot of pressure going on back then. Commission Olson agreed. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Jason Gomes, Safeway, stated that they are pretty excited about this project. He indicated that they opened up their store eight months ago; it has been successful, and they want to complement it with this fuel center. He stated that he was aware of the concern about what Safeway would do if the fuel station becomes too successful. He noted that they have been working with fuel centers for a little over ten years now, and one of the things they have learned is that they are successful at the fuel centers. He noted that the fuel center at the Dublin store was one of the first they ever built as a company, and it was way more successful than anything they could have ever imagined. He added that the Livermore store was also so successful, and they had to come back in and modify both sites. He stated that at the Dublin store, they adjusted the way the traffic flows such that while customers could initially come in from any direction, there is now only one way to come in. He noted that they know how much stacking and how many pumps they need based on the volume. Mr. Gomes stated that fuel centers are a growing part of their business. He noted that a little over 20 percent of their stores nationwide have a fuel center and that they have a handle on it and understand how it works. He indicated that nine pumps and 18 dispensers are going to handle well into the future for whatever they need, but should it become so successful, they will come back and will make some changes to make sure it works right. He noted that Safeway is based in Pleasanton, so a lot of PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, July 25, 2012 Page 7 of 12