A NEW gas station is facing major backlash as residents fear the crowds it could attract after it takes over a historic site.
The gas station is also being built just feet from a school, leading residents to worry about their children’s safety.
The residents are worried about how it will impact the community[/caption]
Zoning notices have been posted throughout the property, now designating it as a retail and commercial area, according to Atlanta News First.
It was once the site of a pre-Civil War structure called McAfee house that was moved to a different location earlier this year.
The zoning ordinance would allow builders to remove the trees in the field and replace the green space with a Racetrack gas station.
If built, the community worries that there may be oil spills and other environmental issues.
“We feel that it’s not an appropriate location,” Tullan Avard, the executive director of the Bells Ferry Civic Association, told Atlanta News First.
Avard said the community fears that it would disrupt the neighborhood by adding more traffic and potentially cause a dangerous situation for the children attending school nearby.
“It’s a great location for customers for them (RaceTrac), but the area residents do not want it.”
Neighbors could be seen picketing near the field, holding signs that opposed the new changes.
Not only are the community members in Cobb County, Georgia, worried about the traffic, but they’re also concerned about alcohol sales and potential robberies.
“We don’t need more traffic congestion,” Avard added.
“We don’t need something that’s open 24/7.”
The gas station‘s location across from a daycare and elementary school also lead some to worry about the health impact it will have on their children.
“Gas vapors are heavier than air and they will go down into the playground at Bells Ferry Elementary School,” neighbor Karen Huck said.
“It will come to the KinderCare learning center.
“Benzene is a known carcinogen.”
High gas tax states
Here is a list of the states with the highest gas taxes (including local fees and federal excise taxes) in the US:
- 1. California: $0.86 per gallon
- 2. Illinois: $0.84 per gallon
- 3. Pennsylvania: $0.80 per gallon
- 4. Indiana: $0.74 per gallon
- 5. Washington: $0.70 per gallon
- 6. Michigan: $0.66 per gallon
- 7. Maryland: $0.65 per gallon
- 8. New Jersey: $0.60 per gallon
- 9. North Carolina: $0.59 per gallon
- 10. Virginia: $0.57 per gallon
Per Visualizing Energy.
The daycare director also noted that she’s opposed to the construction of the new gas station.
Schools are not recommended to be within 1,000 feet of a gas station, according to EPA guidelines.
Officials should be consulted to evaluate for potential spills and other factors.
“I am aware of the concerns and will continue to work with the community through the zoning process,” District 2 Commissioner Erick Allen said.
The Cobb zoning board will make a formal recommendation to the Cobb commissioners after hearing a case for the gas station on September 2.
The Cobb commissioners have the final say on the matter.
