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Planning commission backs allowing gas stations in Business Park; Walmart seeks a station on its site
Summary
The commission forwarded a favorable recommendation to the Town Council on ordinances that would permit gasoline service stations in the Business Park and General Business zones, including a site proposal from Walmart; staff proposed 100‑foot separation from residential property lines and light‑intrusion limits.
The Coventry Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the Town Council permit gasoline service stations in the Business Park zone and adopt related code updates after a staff presentation and a site‑specific request from Walmart.
Melissa Horn, an attorney representing Walmart, told the commission the company seeks permission to add a gas facility at its store and that the proposal includes measures to limit impacts on nearby residences. She noted Walmart had prepared a traffic study for its proposed layout and emphasized their intent to minimize intrusion on neighboring properties.
Staff presented a draft code that would require a 100‑foot separation between fuel pumps and residential property lines and would add light‑intrusion and landscape buffering requirements. Commissioners discussed that Business Park parcels are often large (Walmart, BJ's, Home Depot) but that in some parts of the Business Park a pump installation could be closer to nearby residences than in typical General Business corridors, and they weighed whether different zones should have different separation standards.
Planning staff noted that any specific gas‑station proposal would go through site review (minor land development when under 7,500 square feet) and be reviewed by fire, water, engineering and other departments; Walmart's proposed installation would trigger a technical review and a traffic analysis.
After discussion, the commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the Town Council on Ordinances 2026‑18 and 2026‑9, incorporating the planning staff memoranda.
