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New 7-Eleven proposed for downtown gas station
Planning Commission to consider plan for Union 76 station on Wednesday

by Jeb Bing

The owners of the Union 76 gas station at First and Ray streets are seeking a city permit to tear down the station building there now and add a 7-Eleven convenience store with new fueling pumps and storage tanks.

The proposed store would have 2,500 square feet of floor space with much of the retail items normally found in a 7-Eleven store, including beverages, coffee, bakery products and some groceries. No alcoholic beverages, including beer, would be sold there.

The developer, Ironhorse Development out of Folsom, will take the proposal to the Planning Commission this Wednesday, but it's not clear if it will have the recommendation of the city's Planning Department.

"With all that they're planning on this little lot, it will be quite a challenge to meet our requirements, said Brian Dolan, director of Planning and Community Services.

Terry L. Grayson, who represents Ironhorse, said that in addition to building a 7-Eleven convenience store on the site, the group would relocate and add six new fueling stations with a total of 12 gasoline pumps. The station's older fuel storage tanks would be removed and replaced with a new 20,000-gallon tank and another 15,000-gallon tank.

Apparently, the Union 76 brand of fuel would continue to be sold at the station.

A new driveway could be added on the First Street side of the property with additional landscaping to be placed along both Ray Street and First Street. The 7-Eleven store would have a glass front and doors opening onto the gasoline pumps, but there would be no windows on the other three sides of the building, including on the First Street side.

In several letters sent to Grayson and property owners Lieu Dee and Li Na of Danville, Pleasanton's associate planner Shweta Bonn questioned the parking and circulation plans for the site, pointing out that some of the parking stalls appeared to extend into driveway access to the pumps and proposed store.

The proposal will be heard by the Planning Commission at its meeting Wednesday, which starts at 7 p.m. in the City Council chambers at 200 Old Bernal Ave.