Plans for Sheetz in Eastpointe move forward despite concerns from residents, council

EASTPOINTE — The plans for a new Sheetz gas station and cafe in Eastpointe are moving forward despite concerns from both residents and the City Council.

The site plan for a Sheetz gas station, restaurant and convenience store, as well as a special land use permit, were approved unanimously by Eastpointe’s Planning Commission in early August. The gas station will be constructed at 19001 Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe, at the corner of Nine Mile Road and Beaconsfield Avenue.

Currently an Office Depot occupies the property; however, it will be demolished to build the combination gas station, restaurant and convenience store, plus outdoor seating for the restaurant and landscaping.

The special land use permit for the property was brought before the City Council at its Aug. 20 meeting.

Despite a number of residents speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting about their concerns with the project, as well as concerns brought up by City Council members, the council voted 3-1 to approve the special land use permit that will allow the business to move forward with construction on the property at Nine Mile and Kelly roads.

Before the issue was brought up, multiple residents took to the podium to talk about traffic, safety and the number of gas stations in Eastpointe. Many of their concerns echoed those spoken at the Planning Commission meeting earlier in the month.

Jerry Cook, who lives on Beaconsfield, said building Sheetz in his neighborhood would be “very horrible.”

“It’s so hard to get out from Beaconsfield to Nine Mile just to get on the freeway or go left or right, so with that business being there, it’s just going to cause more confusion,” he said.

He added that he believed Sheetz locations were 24-hour truck stops, and he didn’t want to see that in his neighborhood.

“My neighborhood is not a truck stop,” he said. “So I don’t plan on seeing a Sheetz in my neighborhood. Send it to wherever the truck stop is.”

Geraldine Robinson, who also lives on Beaconsfield, said she believes there are too many gas stations in Eastpointe.

“Can you come up with anything else besides gas stations?” she said. “We need other things in Eastpointe besides gas stations. We deserve more.”

After multiple residents expressed doubt about being able to turn from Beaconsfield onto Nine Mile Road with the additional traffic they expect Sheetz to bring, David Bruckelmeyer, engineering permit manager for Sheetz, stated that a curbed median will be added to the exit of the business, restricting people from turning left to head north on Beaconsfield Avenue.

“That was to address some residents’ concerns, and certainly something we’re willing to take into account,” he said. “We had a traffic study done on the site. We did note that our access is supported by the traffic study and it says it is operating safely.”

Despite the traffic study, Bruckelmeyer said he understands it can be difficult to get from Beaconsfield onto Nine Mile Road. He said Sheetz generally picks corner locations to offer customers a convenient way to get into the business.

Many residents voiced fears about crime that could come with a 24-hour gas station. Bruckelmeyer said the business will have 60 high-definition security cameras and will release footage to local police if requested.

“It’s unfortunately something within our society that crime does exist, but what we do is we invest in lighting, we invest in cameras, and we work with local police departments to address any security concerns,” he said. “We truly do work with local police.”

Councilman Harvey Curley also had questions about the business, starting with what kind of food would be offered at the restaurant. Bruckelmeyer said the restaurant will feature made-to-order food with many different combinations available.

“It’s our brand of premium food offering. So it’s everything from salads, rice bowls — we also have burgers and fries, we have mac and cheese,” he said. “There are Instagram pages that actually are fan favorites; people post their favorite Sheetz food. So we really, truly are a restaurant. We take pride in our made-to-order food.”

Curley, like many residents, also raised questions over the hours of operation.

“Someone mentioned a truck stop to me,” he said. “About the truck stop. Do you have parking overnight?”

While Sheetz does have fueling stations that cater to truck drivers, Bruckelmeyer said the proposed Eastpointe location wouldn’t be one of them.

“This is a site where, if an over-the-road truck driver came in, pulled in and parked overnight, we would ask him to leave or tow him because he’s going to plug up the site,” he said. “He’s not allowed to be there. He shouldn’t be there. This is really focused on auto users, not heavy truck diesels.”

Councilman Cardi DeMonaco cited environmental impacts from the gas station as the reason for his vote against the permit.

“I think that, looking at this holistically, I don’t think we should approve the special land use — mainly because the project is not an improvement to the community, because the U.S. is moving forward to becoming carbon neutral, and developing a new gas station contradicts these efforts to reduce the impacts of global climate change,” he said.

DeMonaco’s objection was met with applause from residents.

Mayor Michael Klinefelt initially spoke in support of Sheetz, stating he feels it’s important that a business move into the property to protect Nine Mile Road from additional blight. However, he did voice concern that it will cause competition for other businesses.

“I have concerns about what will happen to the other gas stations, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to make decisions based on the competitive market,” he said.

Despite concerns from Curley, DeMonaco was the only council member to vote against the permit. Councilman Rob Baker was absent from the meeting.