Dozens of NE Lacey residents protest proposed gas pumps in residential neighborhood
As expected, about 50 residents gathered at an area corner Saturday morning to protest a proposed development in northeast Lacey.
The residents, all of whom live in nearby neighborhoods, carried signs and rang cowbells in opposition to Meridian Market and Gas, a convenience store with gas pumps that has been proposed for the corner of Campus Glen Drive and Willamette Drive. That location is across from Meridian Neighborhood Park.
No one spoke in support of the proposal.
Kristine Padgett said she’s concerned about an increase in traffic for the park and the students who travel to and from Salish Middle School. She said the area does not need another gas station — there are plenty in the surrounding area — and thinks the development could become an attraction for unwanted behaviors, such as drug use.
“We do not need our children exposed to the risk of unwanted activities in our neighborhood,” Padgett said.
Maureen Bard shared some environmental worries, noticing an increase of stormwater runoff in the area, and how that runoff is forming ponds in areas where it normally wouldn’t. Cover the area with more impermeable surfaces and there’s bound to be more runoff, she said.
Meridian Campus residential owners association President Ron Germeaux said he has great concerns about a fuel station going in across from a park and near a school.
“The major thing is that it’s an unusual spot for a gas station in the middle of a residential neighborhood,” he said. “There are plenty of gas stations to serve this community.”
If the proposal was just a store, the community might be interested, he said. Instead, it’s a proposed fuel station next to wetlands, a school and heavy foot traffic.
“It just doesn’t make sense to us,” Germeaux said.
According to city information, the development has been proposed by a group called Northwest Investors LLC of Federal Way. A narrative of the proposal doesn’t speak to the need for fuel, but it does to the store.
“Having lived in Thurston County for the last 38 years, we have experienced the frustration and difficulty of crossing the I-5 bridge to shop for groceries,” the narrative reads. “This is the main reason we are wanting to cater to the community of Meridian Campus. We are local citizens and want to give back to our community, aiming for ease of access and efficiency for homeowners in the area.”
Rebecca Wilcox said she would support the proposal if it was a small restaurant, or a farmers market, or something like Spud’s, the popular neighborhood market with locations in Olympia and Tumwater.
But the area does not need a gas station that will attract more car and truck traffic from the highway, she said.
“I don’t think we should be adding more gas stations when we’re trying to move away from fossil fuels,” added resident Geoff Browning, who not only lives nearby but who also regularly picks up litter on his walks.
“There are a lot of reasons to say no to this,” he said. Browning hopes the Lacey City Council is listening.
Justin Nelson attended the gathering with his children. His biggest concern is that his kids board a school bus a short distance from the proposed development site.
“The increase in traffic generated by a gas station raises our concerns as parents,” he said.
Like Germeaux, Emily Ingersoll thinks it’s a strange place for a gas station.
“We need more things around this area that support our children and the growth of our community,” she said.
Lacey senior planner Samra Seymour said last week that the proposal is set to come before the Lacey hearings examiner in early April.
This story was originally published February 27, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
