Scaled-down project near Highway 99, including hydrogen fuel station, stirs up debate
A last-minute response from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will delay a Salida commercial project, near Hammett Road and Highway 99, for at least a few months.
The contentious proposal for a 24-hour service station and convenience store, plus a drive-through restaurant, had been scheduled for a hearing Thursday before Stanislaus County’s planning commission.
Angela Freitas, county director of planning and community development, said the project is now on an “indefinite continuance” because the state wildlife agency wants the environmental review to address possible impacts on Swainson’s hawk and burrowing owls.
Freitas said it could delay the hearing for two to three months.
In 2019, a proposed truck plaza at the same location, at the Hammett and Pirrone Road intersection, drew opposition from more than 500 petition signers.
The applicants, Cal Sierra Financial and Grover Family Properties, scaled down the plan to a service station with no semi-truck fueling, a 4,500-square-foot convenience market, a fast food outlet, retail and mini storage.
Some residents have also opposed the smaller project, saying the 24-hour business will create traffic impacts, light pollution, noise and public safety issues.
“A lot of people thought this project was done and gone,” said Nicki Rosbrough, a resident of the nearby Vizcaya neighborhood. She predicted the business will attract people coming off the highway at all hours and lead to criminal activity.
Mark Grover, the landowner, said Wednesday the developers have made every accommodation they can to appease neighbors. He said the environmental work was done and the hearing set, and then the state made a claim there might be burrowing owls on the property.
“I don’t see how burrowing owls are there,” Grover said. “The property is farmed and planted in alfalfa. It’s just delaying tactics and at some point it needs to stop.”
Grover said it’s a nice-looking plan for the development, with lighting to cut down on glare and storage units on the perimeter. “It is not going to be a truck stop. It won’t be anything that will attract a bad element,” Grover said.
A possible hydrogen fuel station
The developers recently added a possible hydrogen fuel station, which has raised questions from Salida residents who oppose the revised plan.
County staff said the gasoline station operator will ultimately decide whether to serve hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
While the environmental review did not consider the hydrogen fuel station, county planning staff sought an opinion from the county fire warden and hazardous materials division. A staff report concluded that hydrogen fuel poses no greater hazard than gasoline or diesel and will not contaminate groundwater.
In addition, the state has supported hydrogen-powered vehicles as a no-emission option for slowing climate change.
Rosbrough said the nearby residents deserve more information about any risks of the hydrogen fuel station, which would be a first for the county.
Rosbrough questioned the need for a new gasoline station, as there are eight other gas stations within five miles.
According to agenda reports, Salida community members raised concerns about the scaled-down plan at a March 2020 meeting. A poll of those attending the meeting showed two people in support, a dozen opposed and four undecided.
The Salida Municipal Advisory Council heard a project presentation March 23 and was split 2-2 on a motion to oppose the development.
County Supervisor Terry Withrow, who was critical of the original truck plaza proposal, said he has concerns about the revised development plan and its potential impact on the community.
“There are houses right up against it,” Withrow said. He speculated that the site’s proximity to the Stanislaus River has resulted in the wildlife issues raised by the state.
Grover said the applicants will hire an expert to survey the land for burrowing owls, a process expected to take two months.
This story was originally published April 15, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
