Binghamton planning committee reviews zoning changes to limit new gas stations and expand tobacco buffers

Binghamton City planning staff presented a zoning text amendment Jan. 23 that would restrict where new gas stations and tobacco retailers can locate in the city and add additional review steps for liquor stores and smoke shops.

The proposal would create exclusion zones for future gas stations around hospitals, schools and existing stations and would preserve existing stations unless the use is discontinued for 12 months or more. For tobacco retail, the draft increases the buffer from 500 feet to 1,000 feet around schools, defines “smoke shops” as a distinct land use requiring special review, and would move liquor stores and certain tobacco-selling convenience stores out of permitted-by-right status and into a planning commission/special-permit process that includes council review on appeal.

Planning staff described the changes as public-health measures to reduce groundwater and air contamination risks tied to gasoline operations and to limit youth exposure to tobacco and vaping advertising. “We’re trying to address public health from a zoning standpoint by addressing two land uses that are of concern: gas stations and tobacco retailers,”…