A unanimous vote by the Fayetteville City Council on April 3 will increase the number of gas pumps allowed at service stations and convenience stores. The vote raised the previous maximum of eight pumps to the new maximum of 12 pumps. It was just two years ago that the ordinance allowed a maximum of six pumps.
The request to raise the maximum to 10 double-sided pumps came from the Kroger grocery store in the Town Center retail area on the city’s south side. With the retail area zoned in previous years for one gas outlet, Kroger in recent months had requested approval for 10 pumps over the eight provided in the ordinance.
Kroger in recent weeks was approved for eight pumps, though with the new ordinance amendment the company can make application to increase that number.
The April 3 vote to increase the number of gas pumps to 12 came with little discussion. The brief discussion centered on whether the maximum number of pumps should increase to 10 or 12.
Commenting on the number of gas pumps, Councilman Paul Oddo said it seemed that 12 pumps was the “upper standard.”
Councilman Ed Johnson said he had no objection to raising the number of pumps to 12.
“I just wanted it to be revisited at the last meeting,” Johnson said.
Others on the council were content with the new maximum, and the vote to increase the number of pumps to 12 was unanimous.
The item had been tabled at the previous meeting so city staff could investigate portions of the ordinance which had been recommended for review by former Councilman Larry Dell.
Gas station pumps are permitted in the highway commercial, high-intensity commercial, light manufacturing and heavy manufacturing zoning districts.
It was in April 2012 that council members voted 3-2 to increase the number of doubled-sided gas pumps from six to eight.
“Six pumps is enough,” former Councilman Walt White said at that meeting. “We’ve had six pumps for the last 20 years. If we increase it you’ll get businesses with a huge piece of asphalt, so I think we should leave it the way it is.”
Johnson, Oddo and Mickey Edwards disagreed. White made a motion to keep the number of pumps at six but that motion died for lack of a second. A motion followed that would allow eight pumps and that motion won on a 3-2 vote. White and Dell voted against the measure.
