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Gas station foes: Medford stretched codes to allow it Appeal Who : Medford City Council What : Appeal of an Albertson's gas station at the Larson Creek Shopping Center at Barnett and North Phoenix roads When : 7 tonight Where : Council chambers of Medford City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St. The Medford City Council is expected to hear an appeal tonight of the approval of plans for a gas station in an east Medford neighborhood. Twenty-six neighbors are attempting to overturn a decision by the city's Site Plan and Architectural Commission to allow the station. The station is proposed by Albertson's in the new Larson Creek Shopping Center at Barnett and North Phoenix roads. Jack Jacobs, one of the opponents, said he believes city staff members skirted city codes to allow the development. "They're stretching the codes to accommodate the developers, you know, big money," Jacobs said. The neighbors say a gas station near the new Albertson's grocery store will increase traffic and cast light into their homes, and could generate gas spills. One of their chief complaints was that city code requires that service stations be built on parcels of at least 22,500 square feet. The proposed site is on a tax lot of 15,000 square feet. The city attorney and city staff decided that the site and the tax lot are not synonymous. When the parcel containing the grocery store is included, the overall development is far larger than 22,500 square feet. The commission approved the project 4-1 on Aug. 6 after commissioners heard neighbors' arguments. Also in that meeting, the commission imposed a number of restrictions on the gas station. Among the restrictions: Albertson's can place signs on the canopy of the building, but no signs can face west where the neighbors live. Also, Albertson's can operate the station only from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the station can sell no product other than gasoline. Lights can be on only when the business is open, and the station is required to have a top-of-the-line vapor lock system to cut down on gasoline odors. The commission also required Albertson's to add more conifer trees to a wall separating the shopping center and the neighborhood. This is the second time that the contentious issue has been appealed. The project was approved by the commission on March 19 and went to the City Council, but Albertson's and Key West Properties, which is building the center, asked that the matter be sent back to the commission for review, and the extra conditions were added in the Aug. 6 meeting. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA