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Commission denies Murphy USA convenience store and fuel station at Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Rockbridge Road after resident opposition
Summary
The Board unanimously denied a special use permit for a proposed Murphy USA convenience store with six fuel pumps, following neighborhood testimony about crime, saturation of gas stations, environmental and traffic concerns.
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners unanimously denied a special use permit May 20 for a proposed convenience store with fuel pumps at the corner of Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Rockbridge Road after residents and elected officials strongly opposed the application.
Murphy USA representatives, including regional company representative Steven Oliver and civil engineer Mike Hall, described a redevelopment of an existing pawnshop site into a roughly 2,800‑square‑foot convenience store with six fuel pumps. The applicant said the store would be company‑owned and company‑operated, provide sixteen to twenty cameras, and generally follow the hours of a nearby Walmart. Engineers said the project would slightly reduce impervious area on site and connect to existing detention behind the adjacent Walmart; they also presented a traffic analysis that estimated negligible peak‑hour impacts (about 55 additional peak‑hour trips).
Opponents — including Dr. Jeff Fauntleroy, Moilene Jefferson Shaw, and State Representative Marvin Lim — urged denial. Fauntleroy cited county crime reports at gas stations/food marts and recent violent incidents; Shaw said that the immediate area already has a high concentration of stations (she reported 25 gas stations in a 2.5‑mile radius of the corridor) and said the community is at or near its capacity for new stations. Representative Lim submitted a petition with roughly 130 signatures and told the board the community has supported other developments appropriate to the area but opposes further concentration of gas stations; he raised concerns about brownfield risk from underground tanks and about proximity to Rock Ridge Elementary, which lies within about 1,000 feet of the site.
Planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended denial; the board carried a motion to deny the special use permit (SUP 2025510) by voice vote with no recorded ayes in favor.
Ending: Applicant representatives said they would maintain security measures and noted they handle known site remediation issues; neighbors urged the board to deny to prevent increased criminal activity, environmental risk and further concentration of fuel retailing in an already saturated corridor.
