Gas station to be built on northwest corner of Gratiot Avenue and Hall Road
Planning panel gives its consent to fuel station, convenience store
By MITCH HOTTS | mhotts@medianewsgroup.com | Macomb Daily
PUBLISHED: May 23, 2022 at 5:13 p.m. | UPDATED: May 23, 2022 at 8:27 p.m.
One of the final undeveloped corners of Hall Road (M59) and Gratiot Avenue is set to be the site of a gas station and convenience store.
The Macomb Township Planning Commission last week gave unanimous approval for the site to be developed at the request of Yatooma Oil president Michael Yatooma. Officials expect construction to be complete toward the end of 2023.
“We feel it is the best use for the property,” said Vito Pampalona of Pampalona Companies, the developer of the project.
The property — known for its unkempt appearance of overgrown weeds, political campaign signs and for sale offerings — has been vacant for decades.
There is a 7-Eleven and fuel center on the northeast side in Chesterfield Township and a BP gas station on the southwest corner in Clinton Township. The southeast corner is occupied by a Summit Place Kia dealership, but the exact corner is a dirt parking lot.
Josh Bocks, Macomb’s planning director, said its relatively small size prevented developers from seeking something bigger for the property.
“It’s not a big piece,” Bocks said Friday. ‘It’s a highly visible section of Gratiot and Hall Road, but there wasn’t an opportunity for a larger development.”
Planners approved a site plan and a special land use permit that was necessary for the gas station to be allowed. There is also a drive-in window with a speaker box, but there is no information of the prospective use of that area.
Various homeowners who live behind the site have attended Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission meetings last year and this. Their focus is on lifestyle concerns such as traffic, noise, trash collection, lights, and declining property values.
The developer has worked to address their concerns by planning to erect a six-foot wall and plant 18-foot and 24-foot trees in an effort to block the resident’s view of the gas station. New digital technology is being proposed to limit the sound box from going about 85 decibels.
Still, homeowners questioned what impact the development will have on their residential neighborhood.
“We understand that money talks, but we also understand there is a quality of life needs to be maintained,” said John Parkinson, who lives on Darwin Street, directly behind the gas station.