CC Min 1996-11-04 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Councilwoman La Berge said she was dismayed when she read the flyer that went to the customers of 895 Woodside Gas Mart, and disappointed that the owners/operators said "The City Council of Redwood City is trying to revoke our Use Pennit and close our service station down." Councilwoman La Berge said there had never been one thought to closing down that station; the Council was merely responding to the citizens in the community who claimed the station constituted a nuisance, and the Council asked for a public hearing to review the situation. Councilwoman La Berge read further "This is yet another example of the government trying to discriminate against small independent businesses and deny the public access to discount gasoline." She said "There is nothing farther from the truth than that. We want the citizens of our community and neighboring communities to have access to the good things in life, and we want them to have them in Redwood City. This kind of language is very unsettling to us." Councilwoman La Berge reminded the members of the audience that if they had complaints and came to the Council, they would want the Council to be as responsive as possible and investigate the situation, and that is what the Council did in this case. Councilman Ruskin said this was another difficult decision as it involved important issues, "the right and ability of a business to operate, to provide service, but also to confonn to the laws that are created in order to ensure quality of life in the community." Councilman Ruskin said he had also been troubled by certain things allegedly said by the owners/operators regarding the City favoring large gas stations over small businesses. Councilman Ruskin said "No one from any of the large oil companies, no one from any of the large stations had ever conveyed their interests at all to the City staff that they wanted to affect the Saberi business. That, however you looked at the complaints whether you agreed or not, they came from other sources, from the retirement home and their operators and residents, from neighbors. And I think it is unfortunate that that feeling is allowed to spread. I think it is important that the people of Redwood City understand that however difficult these issues are to adjudicate they are judged on the issues and not on the wishes of big business." Councilman Ruskin said the owners/operators had agreed to all the conditions recommended by staff except the 300 island. He said "I am persuaded by Mr. LaTorra who I think was very frank tonight, and while he stated that had he seen the plans originally he would have asked for some further explanation about the island. But there was no way he could have passed those plans without more detailed drawings of the island, and therefore I am persuaded those drawings were rightly interpreted as being for the changing of the tanks and not for the addition of an island.... In effect the 300 island pennit was never granted. One option for the property owners is to now file for a pennit for the island.... I would like to see this station flourish, it is possible that something could be worked out since the pennit has never officially been given or denied." Councilman Leipzig said he believed when considering the neighbors complaints "the two-year period comes into play. The station was closed down for two years. The residents got used to no light, no traffic, no business going on there.... Two years REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 55 NOVEMBER4,1996 MINUTES Page No. 018 PAGE 16