PLACENTIA : Gas Station-Carwash Plan OKd by Council

Residents turned out in force Tuesday night in an unsuccessful attempt to block construction of a combination gas station, carwash and food mart previously approved by the Planning Commission.

Despite concerns of nearby residents about increased noise and traffic, City Council members were unanimous in their support of the Unocal project, part of a planned 15-acre shopping center at Rose Drive and Alta Vista Street.

“That property is going to be developed sooner or later,” Councilman Norman Z. Eckenrode said. “I’d rather have a good outfit like Unocal come in and do it.”

The project was approved in a 4-3 vote by the Planning Commission in July and subsequently appealed to the City Council.

Resident Glenn Weeks said he found it hard to trust assurances from Unocal representatives that noise from the planned carwash will be minimal. Weeks said company officials have not responded to his complaints about noise from Unocal oil pumps behind his home. “My wife has to wear earplugs at night,” he said.

Weeks also argued for a reduction in the hours of operation. The carwash will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the food mart from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. and the gas station 24 hours a day.

Unocal project manager Maree Elana Arenas said a three-foot-high berm and trees to be planted as a buffer will absorb much of the sound from the carwash. And carwash employees will not be allowed to honk horns to signal customers, she said.

Arenas predicts that the project will bring at least $65,000 in tax revenue to the city within the first three years of operation.