Van Nuys : Critics Fight Sale of Liquor at Gas Station

A showdown between a gas station that wants permission to sell alcoholic beverages and community activists who oppose the idea is expected at a city zoning hearing set for Sept. 11.

Unocal Corp. has applied for a conditional use permit so that its gas station at Sherman Way and Van Nuys Boulevard would be able to sell beer and wine.

In addition to offering alcohol, Unocal wants to remodel the gas station and add a mini-mart with a drive-through window.

Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., said he likes Unocal’s proposals for refurbishing the gas station, but is opposed to having another liquor outlet in the high-crime area.

Gas stations should not sell beer and wine, Schultz added, because doing so could make it easier for people to drink and drive.

Ray Benboali, the project manager for Unocal, said that his company had agreed to a series of voluntary restrictions, such as refusing to sell single cans of beer or fortified beers, in an effort to discourage loitering and public drunkenness.

City Councilman Marvin Braude, who represents the area, has not yet taken a position on Unocal’s application. Bonnie Kopp, Braude’s planning aide, said the council office is also concerned about having another liquor outlet in the area, but that the proposed overhaul would make the site safer in other ways, and more attractive.

“The new design would provide better visibility around the building, security cameras, better lighting and landscaping that would also permit better visibility,” Kopp said.

Kopp said that Unocal had also agreed to remove the pay phones in front of the gas station, which are thought to be used by drug dealers, if it receives permission to sell alcohol.

Unocal has said the remodeling project would not be financially feasible without the liquor permit, according to Kopp.