Residents Fight Shell Mini-Mart & Car Wash

An application to replace the garage at the Shell gas station on Sunset Boulevard and Via de la Paz with a car wash and 24-hour mini-mart has incensed neighbors and many community groups that fear noise pollution and traffic safety hazards. ‘It’s already a busy intersection,’ said Tracey Price at the Palisades Community Council meeting last Thursday. ‘Children travel back and forth there. The bottom line is that this plan would lower the quality of life around-the-clock in the Palisades.’ Price, who lives a block and a half from the Shell station, collected more than 40 signatures from neighbors of the station, including residents of two adjacent condominium complexes. And she was among a handful of those opposed to the project who lobbied the council to block the proposed changes. Last November, the station’s owner, Jin Sung Kaw, applied for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) through the Department of City Planning, which has authority to approve the project. Before Kaw gets approval for the project, he needs a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), which shows compliance with state environmental laws. If he receives the MND, that would obviate the need for an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). If approved, the 1,800-sq.-ft. main structure, which hosts a cashier’s office and a repair garage, would be replaced by a 756-sq.-ft. car wash and a 1,168-sq.-ft. food mart. Earlier this month, the boards of the Via de la Paz Homeowners Association and the Pacific Palisades Residents Association voted against changes. And the Community Council unanimously approved a motion last week that urges City Planning to require a ‘focused’ EIR. However, council members backed away from opposing the project, citing ‘fairness’ because the owner or a representative was not present. Kaw was not invited to last week’s meeting, but council members say he will be invited to the next meeting. The council’s letter expresses community concerns about both the environmental effects of the car wash and the mini-mart: ‘Even if the applicant built a sound wall at the ground level, it would not prevent noise from the car wash from being heard in the condominium units’ It would be difficult for a car wash to succeed in this community that did not use blowers to remove excess water from vehicles. It is the noise from these blowers that concerns neighboring residents. In the past, the noise from such blowers has proven unacceptable. ‘The provisions of the proposed MND do not also address the impacts that a 24-hour food mart will have on the adjacent residential areas, particularly the neighboring condominiums. There will be noise of car doors being slammed shut, of loud engines, and of loud conversations and yelling that are typical of 24-hour food marts.’ City Planning official Christopher Koontz told the Palisadian-Post that it is unlikely that the department would require an EIR for these proposed changes. ‘I have never seen an EIR done for a project this small,’ Koontz said. ‘Legally, when you do an EIR, it has to cover the whole universe of environmental impact. You would have to hire a biologist to study what impact this would have on endangered species. The point is, it becomes a very cumbersome process.’ But an MND doesn’t mean automatic acceptance, Koontz said. A public hearing will still be required to receive a Conditional Use Permit, and the department can require Shell’s owner to modify his plans to accommodate community concerns. Beyond the expected inconvenience of increased noise and traffic, many residents worry about losing their favorite mechanic, Eli Soufo. ‘I’m selfish,’ admitted Robert Bundy. ‘I don’t know where I’d go to fix my car. They’ve got very sophisticated mechanics there. My wife tells me that people who used to live here who now live in San Diego come here just so he can repair [their cars].’ Though opposition is widespread, it is not universal among Palisadians. Haldis Toppel, who lives in Marquez Knolls, agrees with detractors that the mini-mart might be a community nuisance, but she would appreciate another local car-wash alternative. ‘The car wash adds convenience, assuming that it’s a drive-through,’ said Toppel, a longtime community activist. ‘The cost is low and it’s fast. This may not be the solution for someone driving a $100,000 car. But for everyone else, it will help.’ ——- To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call ext. 28.