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MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – There has been a lot of back and forth for months about whether a gas station should open in the Oakley Gardens Historic District (OGD).
The topic came before the Architectural Review Board Wednesday afternoon.
Neighboring residents strongly oppose this and are protesting violently.
“It’s not in our neighborhood, it’s off the interstate,” said Katherine McLeod, who has lived in Oakley for 50 years.
Back in December, the developers of Murphy USA withdrew the application due to a lot of opposition. The revised plan was submitted several weeks ago and presented to the board on Wednesday.
The property in question is an abandoned CVS on the corner of Government and Broad streets in the heart of OGD.
It’s a busy intersection with thousands of people passing through it every day and a historic church across the street.
The goal is to destroy CVS and bring in something new.
The question is…what will it be?
“When I first heard about it, I couldn’t believe they were going to put a gas station there,” McLeod said.
Corey Harris expressed his concerns at the meeting. He lives across the street from the proposed construction site.
He worries about traffic, lighting and crime.
“It seems like every day there’s something going on at gas stations, shootings, robberies, whatever,” Harris said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to add another element to the hallway that isn’t very good for crime right now.”
In rebuttal, a representative for the developer said it had been a commercial site since the 1920s.
According to the city of Mobile, the property is zoned for general business use, and a gas station is permitted by title. However, the project belongs to his OGD, so the plans and design must pass the Architectural Review Board.
At the meeting, board members agreed that the gas station did not comply with historic district guidelines.
It’s on hold for now.
“I don’t think it’s what we wanted, but it’s better than the alternative that they approved,” Harris said.
He’s hoping for a different kind of change.
“I’d love to see a mixed-use facility, perhaps with shopping and restaurants on the lower level and maybe some condominiums on the upper level,” Harris said. “It has a balcony and I think it’s a great place to watch Mardi Gras.”
There is a petition signed by over 700 people opposing the gas station.
The developer declined to comment.
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