By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


A rezoning request made by the owners of a Linden gas station and convenience store is being denied.

The Linden Planning Commission on Thursday voted to not recommend approval of a conditional zoning request for Beacon & Bridge. With a conditional request, the property owner can bring their own stipulations while the municipality is not allowed to impart or ask for their own. Owner Bob Eastman, according to the Tri-County Times, proposed conditions that included setbacks and parking requirements.

The Beacon & Bridge is currently central business district, but Eastman wants general commercial, as that allows for gas stations as a special use. The current gas station has been allowed to operate as non-conforming. Several residents and planning commissioners, though, had issues with the submitted preliminary site plans. The plans include the demolition of a small building on the site and the construction of a larger gas station with twice as many pumps, further south. Their prior plans had the building in the north, but Eastman claimed that it was changed for safety reasons. He said that truck drivers had told him it would be safer for them to pull off of the lot if the building was in the newly proposed spot. The larger store would also include bathrooms for the public.

Planning Commissioners were not on board with the changes, which included a remediation trailer that would be in front of the Linden Hotel for the next 3 to 5 years. That remediation is needed to clean up an underground gas leak. City Planner Adam Young added that the plans are not consistent with the master plan, are not compatible with surrounding uses, and don’t improve upon the land in a way that is better than what current zoning allows.

The Planning Commission followed his recommendation to deny the request.