Anaheim Drops Proposal to Limit Gas Stations

A controversial proposal for a 45-day ban on construction of gas stations was withdrawn by the Anaheim City Council on Tuesday night after the board appeared deadlocked on the issue.

“A moratorium is a very serious tool,” said Councilwoman Shirley McCracken, who had expressed concerns about the proposal. Such a ban, she said, is not the best way to deal with development issues.

The moratorium was requested by Councilman Frank Feldhaus, who had said it would give city officials time to study the issue and possibly adopt an ordinance and guidelines that would include appropriate locations for gas stations.

Expressing concern about what he sees as a proliferation of gas stations, Feldhaus said his goal is to improve the appearance of the community. “I want to see planning done and controls . . . that don’t put one on every corner,” he said. “You have to step back and take a look.”

McCracken and Councilwoman Lucille Kring spoke against the measure, while Feldhaus and Mayor Tom Daly supported it. The fifth council member, Tom Tait, said he would not vote on the matter because of a conflict of interest: His engineering firm provides services to major oil companies. That led to the council’s decision to drop the measure.

Kring, who had viewed the plan as too drastic, said, “I’m not for a gas station on every corner, but I’m for the market deciding.”

There are 67 gas stations operating in the city, most of them west of the Costa Mesa Freeway. The heaviest concentration is in that area because they were built over the years near the city’s three freeways as well as Disneyland, the Convention Center and Edison Field.

There has been a decline in the number of stations in the past 25 years. In 1972, the city had 210.

In the past five years, the city has granted building permits for 18 gas stations. Two of those were on new sites, and the rest were remodeling or reconstruction projects at existing stations.

Other Orange County cities recently have taken action to limit growth. San Juan Capistrano, for example, has temporarily banned new check-cashing establishments, drive-through restaurants and gas stations with mini-markets.

But a blanket moratorium aimed specifically at gas stations was virtually unheard of, said Jim Daskal, general counsel of the National Coalition of Petroleum Retailers, a trade group. He and other industry representatives had expressed vociferous opposition to Anaheim’s proposal.

“It’s not something that has arisen very often,” Daskal said. “As a very short-term measure, it’s OK. But ultimately you have to rely on traditional zoning.”

Matt Rezvani, Arco Products Co. spokesman, said the ban is discriminatory because the city is focusing on one industry. “Why look at this one segment?” he asked.

He said Arco has concerns that the ban would prevent the company from upgrading its stations and, in the long run, hurt consumers “because you’re stifling competition.”

Anaheim’s planning staff has identified nine closed service stations in the city and 23 vacant lots at major intersections as possible sites for new stations.

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Return of Service

After a decline of nearly a decade, the number of service stations in Anaheim increased in 1998, mirroring the trend across Orange County and statewide. Number of service stations:

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Anaheim Orange County Statewide 1990 109 868 11,061 1991 111 858 10,665 1992 104 844 10,438 1993 99 771 9,957 1994 101 778 9,907 1995 97 752 9,727 1996 94 743 9,633 1997 89 725 9,391 1998 95 736 9,513

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Source: State Board of Equalization