By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

Motorists in the Hartland Township-area are going will soon have another choice for where they fill up their tank.

The Hartland Township Board of Trustees conducted a site plan with special land use application review for a new gas station and convenience store at a recent meeting. Applicant Michael Yatooma was seeking approval for the development that will be located on a vacant parcel north of Clyde Road and east of Runyon Lake Road. It will consist of a 6,000-square-foot gas station and shop with 9 pumps, 3 being diesel.

One area of concern that has been expressed from the public through the approval process is what the new gas station will do to an area of the township that frequently sees heavy traffic in peak hours. Hartland Township Manager Bob West told WHMI there have been some underlying concerns about traffic, but the township generally doesn’t have the authority to mandate traffic changes or impact studies. Instead, he said they rely on the Livingston County Road Commission as well as analysis provided and performed by outside engineering firms. Traffic studies discussed during a previous Planning Commission meeting suggested that this new development wouldn’t necessarily generate any extra traffic in the area, but instead divert some of it.

The Board of Trustees voted 4-2 in favor of approving the site plan and special use permit, with one member absent. The applicant can now go forward with construction plans and necessary reviews from County and local departments, agencies, and public safety organizations.