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Gas station discussion continues in April
Proper management of gasoline runoff was one of the concerns discussed by the Clarke County Planning Commission Friday relating to plans for a new gas station in Waterloo.
A public hearing was held at the Planning Commission’s regular meeting to allow for discussion of the proposed nearly 7,000-square foot building, which would be a combination Handy Mart, Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins and Subway.
H.N. Funkhouser and Co. has submitted a site plan for the project, to be built on 2.2 acres of land at the intersection of U.S. 50 and U.S. 340, south of the Town of Boyce.
After discussion, the Planning Commission voted to continue the public hearing at its regular meeting in April, in part so that the Virginia Department of Transportation has time to study the traffic impacts of the project.
Questions regarding gasoline runoff must also be answered, because a stream located near the proposed building supplies water to Waterloo residents.
Waterloo resident Anne Morgan spoke at the public hearing, saying that she lives downstream from the proposed building.
“My main concern is the gas and oil runoff that would be included with the water and my initial understanding was that you were just going to have a pond in the field that would settle things out,” Morgan said. “But when the stream is run, it goes onto my property and I’m very concerned about that.”
H.N. Funkhouser has included in the site plan rain gardens to filter impurities, but Planning Commission members were unsure whether such measures would be enough.
“We can’t afford to lose our water supply,” Planning Commission member A.R. “Pete” Dunning said to H.N. Funkhouser president Robert Claytor.
While Claytor assured the Planning Commission that it did not wish for any big spills, Dunning said that recently, while filling his gas tank at a gas station, the automatic shut-off function did not work and several gallons spilled to the ground before he could get over to the nozzle to shut it off.
“We’re just trying to minimize the fault line,” Dunning said.
But he and the rest of the members also stated that their concerns do not mean they are not in favor of the proposed project.
“The county certainly wants to work with you,” Chairman Beverly McKay said.
The Planning Commission suggested that H.N. Funkhouser consider a method of treating the water before it enters the rain gardens, but no final decisions were made. Discussion will continue at the April public hearing.
Also at the meeting, Whitman, Requardt & Associates LLP of Fairfax presented to the Planning Commission an overview of the plans for Berryville’s new wastewater outfall line. To conform with new state regulations, the Town of Berryville must upgrade its water treatment facility by the end of 2010.
Part of the approximately $25 million project is a new force main that must be built to carry the treated water about 4 miles from the plant, located off of U.S. 7 east of Berryville, to the Shenandoah River. Town Manager Keith Dalton said the existing outfall line is not sufficient to handle the demands of the upgraded facility.
The upgraded facility will have the capacity to handle 700,000 gallons a day, an increase from the current facility’s capacity of 450,000.
The outfall line, which will be 12 inches in diameter, will affect 14 parcels of land and 11 owners. The town has spoken with most of the owners, and assured Planning Commission members that it will make an effort to do work near Nall’s Farm Market, one of the affected properties, during the winter when the market is closed.
The line, which will cost about $4 million, is slated for completion in October 2010, and the treatment plant is scheduled to be finished by December 2010.
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