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More gas is gas, says Stan: Jamaica Plain gas station files plans to add more pumps
By adamg on Mon, 04/29/2024 - 1:42pm
Rendering of new pumps off Kenton Road; current garage is where the shrubs are.
Hatoff's, where gas is gas at 3440 Washington St. in Jamaica Plain, has filed plans with ISD to add eight more gas pumps - and opening access to them from Kenton Road.
Under the proposed plans, the station would demolish an old garage in the rear of its property - now basically on the property line - to make way for two islands, each with four pumps and some tall shrubbery along the property line. A short driveway that now leads into the garage building would remain open and be turned into access to the pumps.
Hatoff's currently has 12 pumps at six islands in from Washington Street.
Map of the proposed changes, from ISD filing:
Last fall, a developer proposed replacing the entire station with condos, but nothing official was ever filed with the BPDA. The proposal to add new pumps was reviewed by an ISD inspector on March 1 of this year, according to a stamp on the plans.
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Comments
Redevelopment?
What happened to the redevelopment proposal? Did the NIMBYs succeed in killing it (and is this their "be careful what you ask for" response)?
Oh, right!
I'd obviously completely forgotten about that. The developer approached the local neighborhood group last fall, but never actually filed plans with the BPDA. The plans for the new pumps were date-stamped March 1 by an ISD inspector (added to the story, thanks).
so, yeah, sounds like the NIMBYs scared them off
Yeah, sounds like the negative reception it got at the neighborhood meeting scared them off, which is too bad.
That's rich. The developer
That's rich. The developer didn't do anything at all, and the neighborhood didn't do anything all...it must be NIMBYs!
The BPDA hands out variances like candy...it the developer truly wanted to build, they would have gotten everything they wanted. Perhaps they just didn't want to build right now? No, it must be the fault of people you already don't like!
Not how development works in Boston
Since we're getting technical here: Although the BPDA has to approve larger projects and although the board can just sit on things to force developers to give up (see the big sandlot on Centre Street in West Roxbury), it does not grant variances. That's done by the Zoning Board of Appeal which has actually rejected projects the BPDA has approved.
The developer DID do something, and so did the neighborhood
The developer went to a community meeting to try and gauge how much support they would have and/or how much pushback they could expect.
The neighborhood (well, the ones who self select to go to these meetings) gave negative feedback and indicated that they would fight the developer. Would the developer (likely) win at the BPDA and ZBA? Absolutely. Would it cost a bunch of extra money to do so in the face of such headwinds? Absolutely.
So the developer (likely) decided that given the extra cost it wasn't worth their time and money to move forward with the project.
Utterly Ridiculous
Stan's creates one of the most dangerous pedestrian spaces on Washington Street. The curb-cut on Kenton lets drivers dive into the parking lot from Washington, endangering pedestrians. I've had an uncountable number of near misses, and if anything, that curb-cut should be closed. Now, they want to open another curb cut farther down Kenton?
This will only bring more traffic deeper into the Stonybrook Neighborhood. More pumps means more traffic, more pollution, more noise, and more danger for residents.
When plans we're proposed to replace Stan's with 4-over-1 residential units, some members neighborhood association loudly complained that it would increase traffic and demanded a traffic study. The developer said Stan's services over 2000 cars a day. So, how about that traffic study now? Surely more pumps would increase traffic above 2000 cars a day, whereas tens of housing units would have surely decreased traffic.
Stan's sucks. Its bad gas, which is why its so cheap. Its bad for the neighborhood, bad for pedestrians, bad for our air quality, and bad for congestion. Say no its expansion!
Mostly agree, but....
IMHO, Gas IS Gas. As such, Stan's gas probably isn't any worse than anyone else's gas.
Gas isn't really Gas
Different suppliers put varying amounts of detergents and other engine cleaners in their gas. These detergents are what help prevent gunk from building up in engines. But, more detergents cost more money. This is why Top Tier gas was created: https://www.toptiergas.com/about-top-tier/
I have no love for the oil industry. In fact, I'd prefer they all go bankrupt. But, while ICE cars are still on the road, lets make sure they run as efficiently and cleanly as possible.
Make sure to submit your
Make sure to submit your comment to the BPDA; sometimes it does make a difference -no sarcasm intended.
Doesn’t the fact that “Gas
Doesn’t the fact that “Gas station” is already an approved use for this parcel mean that there will not be a public engagement process for the addition of another pump?
Housing => pollutant, ruins neighborhood character, needs community process
Gasoline => no problems at all, just needs an ISD stamp saying the plans are valid
Our zoning at work!
Walking by this dump is very
Walking by this dump is very dangerous and unpleasant. This gas station in particular seems to attract terrible, trashy drivers. Gas stations don’t belong in city neighborhoods.
Those people
Talk about NIMBY ism, It is a legal Business, going through channels, very few refiners and wholesalers, I doubt there is a "sketchy" wholesaler just for Stan's. Gas is gas, they were pretty good to their regulars during their rationing during the "Gas" crisis. A memory stretch, then we all go down to Doyles for a Pickwick.
Maybe somebody will open a "clean" gas station that will will kill Hatoff's off through competition, very capitalist.
Why do we hate the remnants of old Boston? What would Dr. Freud say down at the City Hall Progressive couch?
Old Boston?
That's a stretch to say a gas station is "old" in any sense of Boston history.
Walking a stretch of road to get somewhere is far older in Boston terms.
Old for a Gas Station
Since the first car built and road tested in Massachusetts was in 1893 and some of the earliest auto manufacturing in MA dates to the early 1900s ...Stan Hatoff's is kinda old from 1924.
And the JP Historical Society thinks it is "an institution."
https://www.jphs.org/people/2005/4/13/stan-hatoff-a-jamaica-plain-instit...
Argh
This is infuriating! The last thing we need in this neighborhood is a bigger gas station. I wish instead of adding more gas pumps, Hatoff's would add EV charging stations - we have none on this side of JP and there are a ton of EV drivers in the neighborhood.
Eversource Substation
There's an Eversource substation on the other side of Acme Auto from Hatoff's. Surely, it wouldn't be too hard to get some EV fast chargers wired up!