SJB council delays vote on proposed Windmill Market station;
owner is frustrated at latest stall
The San Juan Bautista City Council put off a vote last week on a
proposed gas station at Windmill Plaza, leaving project developer
Jim Gibson doubtful about the plan’s future.
At its Oct. 7 meeting, the four council members present and
members of the public discussed Gibson’s plan to build a gas
station in the parking lot of the Windmill Market at the corner of
The Alameda and Hwy. 156. At issue in the public hearing was a
conditional use permit, an amendment to the original development
plans and an amendment to the plaza’s sign ordinance.
SJB council delays vote on proposed Windmill Market station; owner is frustrated at latest stall
The San Juan Bautista City Council put off a vote last week on a proposed gas station at Windmill Plaza, leaving project developer Jim Gibson doubtful about the plan’s future.
At its Oct. 7 meeting, the four council members present and members of the public discussed Gibson’s plan to build a gas station in the parking lot of the Windmill Market at the corner of The Alameda and Hwy. 156. At issue in the public hearing was a conditional use permit, an amendment to the original development plans and an amendment to the plaza’s sign ordinance.
“A lot of people aren’t too happy with us,” a frustrated Gibson said this week. “There were a lot of objections.”
The council, meeting without Mayor Ed Laverone – who was absent – decided to continue the item to its Oct. 19 meeting, at which time a scaled-down version of the gas station plan is expected to be up for consideration.
“The council wanted an opportunity to take a look at the proposal and see if (Gibson) was interested in making modifications to it,” City Manager Stephen Julian said. “If any council members had any concerns or issues and they let me know I’d convey that to the (city) planner. Maybe out of that, something will work. I have no idea. It’s a small town; people have strong feelings about things.”
Gibson said the insular nature of San Juan often discourages development.
“Basically, in my opinion it’s like a retirement community over here now,” he said. “Retirees don’t like commercial activity there. They hide behind (the mantra) ‘we’re saving historic San Juan.’ The less activity in San Juan, the happier they are.”
Some critics are concerned that a gas station, which is designed to drive more traffic to the Windmill Plaza and, by extension, downtown San Juan, would add traffic to an intersection that is used by students at nearby San Juan School.
“Child safety is a legitimate concern,” Gibson said, noting that there are more than 300 students at the school and only a few cars per hour would be visiting the gas station.
“They just think we’re too busy and we’re going to them saying we’re not busy enough,” he said of the gas station’s detractors.
Gibson said he is prepared to go the next council meeting with a proposal that eliminates a previously planned water tower-like building and moves signage to the corner of the property. He may also scale back from two islands with three fueling stations to one island with two fueling stations and a small booth for an attendant.
“We had 18 parking spaces coming out” in the original proposal, he said. “We can probably do it in six spaces. We’ll see if that flies.”
Having tried for months to get the gas station approved, Gibson said that “in a lot of ways, I’ll be relieved” if the project is denied.
“That way, I can quit my insane habit of trying to invest money in San Juan Bautista,” he said. “Just like Nixon, they’re not going to have Jim Gibson to kick around any more.”
