Price Check: 92 Octane?

The Vons supermarket chain has begun work at the site of a former Texaco gas station in La Cañada Flintridge that could lead to the grocery giant’s first discount self-service gas station in this area. However, no definitive plan exists, a Vons spokesman said.

As early as last week, crews began removing hydrocarbons from the soil underneath the Texaco station near the Vons at 1975 Verdugo Blvd., senior planner Fred Buss said.

Prior to the work, Buss said, Vons representatives approached the city’s planning department and asked what steps the grocery chain would need to take to activate the gas station.

The supermarket chain operates 17 gas stations at stores from Las Vegas to Clovis to Escondido, but the chain has not settled on a plan for the Texaco site, said spokesman Daymond Rice.

“We are always looking for locations in which to expand, but there are no definitive plans to discuss,” Rice said. He said there are many other sites under review for possible gas station locations.

To operate the station, Vons would have to obtain a conditional use permit from the city and go through the public hearing process before the planning commission, Buss said.

At Vons gas stations, which sell discount gas, customers can use the store’s club cards at the pump and receive additional discounts per gallon of gas purchased, Rice said.

Vons leases the store on Verdugo Boulevard and the store lies within unincorporated county territory, Buss said. But the gas station site is within La Cañada city limits, he said. Texaco’s lease for the station recently expired, Buss said.