By Jeremy Walsh — Staff reporter
LAKEPORT — The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday approved of Westgate Petroleum adding a convenience store and large propane tank as part of a project that appeared to appease people on both sides of the debate.
“I think we”ve worked very hard to come to a legitimate compromise,” neighboring property owner Ron Bartolucci said Tuesday at the Lake County Courthouse.
Bartolucci, who operates vineyards next to the Lakeport fueling station, had been among the staunchest opponents of Westgate”s original proposal.
The BOS discussed the issue last summer but delayed decision-making to let the company and concerned parties meet and possibly develop an alternate plan.
Those subsequent discussions proved fruitful, according to Community Development Director Rick Coel. “We believe we reached some compromises,” he said.
Westgate”s new proposal, parts of which the Lake County Planning Commission approved by a 4-1 vote in December, allows the company to open a mini-mart and construct a 30,000-gallon propane tank while adhering to specific project provisions.
The company”s land on Highland Springs Road adjacent to Highway 29 had been split between service commercial (C3) and agriculture (A) zoning districts, a unique designation in an area mainly surrounded by strictly agricultural lands.
Consequently, many farmland advocates were worried about increased vehicle traffic and other potential affects of the original project.
The planning commission approved the new plan in part because it attempted to mitigate some of those concerns.
The commission also found the project required no new buildings ? because the mini-mart would sit in an empty structure already on the site ? and determined the approval “is not a grant of special privilege” and “does not constitute a precedent for further expansion of commercial uses into agricultural lands.”
A majority of the supervisors agreed with the commission”s assertions and ultimately approved several motions allowing the project to proceed.
District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing, the lone vote against the project, said she did “appreciate this kind of compromise” but could not support the proposal. “This is how sprawl happens,” she said.
The Lake County Farm Bureau and Sierra Club Lake Group also reportedly opposed the new plan.
The BOS voted 4-1 to approve a mitigated negative declaration, general plan amendment, rezone and general plan of development for the project.
As a result, the existing C3 areas along with 30,000 square feet of A-zoned land were reclassified as planned development commercial (PDC).
The large propane tank will be built on a section of the PDC land behind the main building and within an existing orchard on Westgate”s property. Approximately 23 walnut trees will be removed.
A 3-foot-high fence was already built along the north end of the property to limit trash blowing onto the neighboring vineyards, according to county staff.
The store can only be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Outdoor eating and on-site food preparation is prohibited.
The county also required prominent signage and pavement markings to help Westgate”s customers drive in and out of the property.
The company estimates the convenience store and large propane tank could be operational by the spring, adding about a dozen new jobs.
