Permit allows downtown gas station to reopen

A conditional use permit that would allow the service station at the intersection of Washington Street and 12th Avenue in downtown Grafton to reopen as a gas station and convenience store was approved last week by the Grafton Plan Commission.

The station at 1117 Washington St., which closed last March, is expected to reopen as a Hometown Gas Station next month.

But to do that, the gas tanks at the site must be replaced, something expected to be done in the coming weeks, Interim Community Development Director Mark Sauer told the commission. He added that while there are three tanks now, there will be two that replace them.

That will necessitate closing the southbound lane of 12th Avenue, he said.

“That work is very intense,” he said. Sauer said the building will be revamped inside and out, with the former service area turned into an expanded convenience store.

The building will be spruced up, with the brickwork improved, the garage painted and the property cleaned up.

“The appearance of the building is of utmost importance,” Sauer said. “It’s one of the most important, highly visible corners.

“We’ve got a good plan in place to move this forward, I think.”

Sauer noted that the building can reopen as a gas station, a legal nonconforming use of the property, but that needs to be done within a year of closing per state statutes.

It will be close, he said, adding that through the submission of the conditional use permit request the village is preserving the status as an operational business, meeting the one-year deadline.

Village President Dan Delorit expressed some concern that the deadline can be met, adding he was concerned that the property owner was not responsive to complaints regarding maintenance of the property.

“I have to express my frustration,” he said. “It’s not gotten off to a good start. I’m concerned about this (deadline) and the lack of response.

“That’s really the heart of our village. Are you going to be able to get this done by March 6? I don’t want this to turn into another abandoned site.”

Nathan Remitz of Patera Architecture and Engineering, which is working on the project, told the commission, “He (the property owner) is fully aware time is of the essence.”

He noted that once construction begins, the owner will be on site, adding that wasn’t the case when the maintenance issues were raised.

Sauer said the gas station, which will occupy 2,280 square feet, will have two shifts of workers and be open from 5 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.

In other action, the commission approved the final plat for the second phase of the Hawks Ridge Landing subdivision.

The subdivision south of Cedar Creek Road and west of John Long Middle School and Woodview Elementary School is being developed by Bob Tillman.

This phase of the project has 41 single-family houses.

“Phase one is under construction,” Sauer said. “Many of the houses are up or being constructed.”

And, he noted, the infrastructure is largely in place.

The Hawks Ridge Landing subdivision encompasses roughly 100 acres with 146 single-family houses and it is expected to be built in six phases. Work on the subdivision started in 2020, and Tillman said he expects it will be another four or five years to complete the subdivision.