Elk Grove Mayor, City Council Reject Appeal Attempting to Stop Maverik Fueling Station

After an almost three-hour hearing at last night's Elk Grove City Council meeting, an appeal of a September Elk Grove Planning Commission's approval of a fueling station was unanimously rejected. The appellant, Protect Elk Grove (PEG), was represented by attorney Edward Yates and sought to reverse the Planning Commission's approval of the large fueling station on Grant Line Road and East Stockton Boulevard, near Highway 99.

The meeting began with a ruling by Elk Grove City Attorney Jonathan Hobbs regarding a letter from Yates and PEG seeking the recusal of Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen due to her role as President of the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association (APCA). Hobbs affirmed that Singh-Allen's participation in the hearing would not be a conflict of interest.

During his presentation, Yates argued that a comprehensive environmental impact report should have been conducted. Mr. Yates said that ecological effects, such as water contamination and traffic analysis, could be performed by someone other than the City of Elk Grove's preferred EIR contractor, Ascent.

Representatives for Maverik agreed with the City's assessment that the project be exempt from a study. They asserted that the fueling station does not deviate from the General Plan, no zoning change was required, and that the facility would not be a truck stop.

During the public comment period, numerous speakers from both sides of the issue addressed the city council. Supporters, who wore red t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Bring Maverik to Elk Grove," argued that the facility was not a truck stop, as PEG had asserted, and that it would be a welcome addition.

Opponents cited traffic concerns and the potential that the facility, which they characterized as a truck stop, would attract unsavory elements to the Elk Grove area. Aside from Mr. Yates, none of the speakers in support of the appeal identified themselves as representatives of PEG.

During City Council deliberations, Councilmember Kevin Spease and Mayor Singh-Allen addressed implications from some Maverik supporters that PEG was a so-called Astroturfing group. Spease was the first to address the implications.

"I'm really sad to see the fear, the purposeful repeated dissemination of false claims to residents, in an effort to stoke fear," Spease said. "There have been folks that have been purposefully misleading residents, and I don't take kindly to that."

Singh-Allen expanded on Spease's commentary, defending truck drivers, among other things (see the mayor's commentary in the video below). Neither Mayor Singh-Allen nor Councilmember Spease delved into who organized PEG.

Short of a lawsuit under the California Environmental Quality Act, the project is approved for development.