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| Latest Revised Drawings showing new drive-thru design (gas station not shown here) |
We recently learned that Walgreens is considering adding a drive-thru window and gas station to its Sunnyside store (corner of Belmont and Chavez). The latest plans call for a drive-thru window in the southeast corner of the lot (corner of Yamhill St and 40th) as well as possibly a Fred Meyer gas station on the Chavez side of the lot. In order to accommodate the new drive-thru, the current building's footprint would be reduced to about 2/3 of its current size.
The latest revised drawings (shown at the top) are dated June 2010, with original drawings from February 2010 (shown to the left), so this project has long been in the works. Neighborhood residents only discovered Walgreen's and Fred Meyer's plans when surveyors began working on the Walgreen's portion two weeks ago. Long-term residents might remember previous Walgreens drive-thru applications in 1997 and 1999. Both were ultimately withdrawn or abandoned after public review and appeals.
While the earlier applications placed the drive-thru at various locations within the existing parking lot, today's plan is even more likely to cause disturbance to the abutting residential area since it calls for the drive-thru to be installed within the buffer zone (CN2b) normally there to protect the abutting residential area. In addition, it appears that this time Walgreens is seeking to avoid requirements for a land use review so as to avoid the need for public comments. The latest plan seems to be treating the drive-thru and gas station applications as 2 different projects requiring different permits, so that if the gas station were to require a land use review, the drive-thru application would not be impacted.
Of concern is not only the direct impact to abutting residential properties (increased traffic, noise from speaker operations, fumes from idling cars, danger to pedestrians using the Belmont Library), but also increased traffic to the already dangerous Belmont-Chavez intersection, as well as the future livability of Sunnyside as a whole (unless a new drive-thru pharmacy and a new gas station are now part of our new forward-thinking urban planning vision). Given Sunnyside's goal to end dependence on fossil fuels, as well as its support of local businesses with pedestrian-friendly streets, adding cars at this corner does not mesh with SNA's vision.
Although we do not object to Walgreens taking measure to increase their business, their current plan will clearly have significant negative impact on the community of which they are a part, and their purported intent to avoid any public review is definitely cause for concern.
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| Satellite view with drawing overlay. |
