Becker County Board approves South Shore Drive gas station permit on 3-2 vote

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – After about an hour of public comments from Detroit Lakes residents, members of the Becker County Board approved a conditional-use permit on a 3-2 vote for a gas station/convenience store near the intersection of South Shore Drive and 270th Avenue, on the south side of Detroit Lake.

The proposal was denied by the Detroit Lakes city council last December as part of an annexation agreement for a larger 54-acre development, which included the gas station and dozens of new single-family homes.

Many of the South Shore Drive residents thought the matter was settled, but the developer, Gehrig Properties, approached Becker County planning and zoning for a new conditional-use permit to operate a gas station on their land, which still resides outside of the Detroit Lakes city limits in greater Becker County.

After receiving approval recommendations from the Becker County Planning Commission and Lake View Town Board, the south side property owners returned to voice their concerns over the gas station proposal once again, this time to the Becker County commissioners.

Jon Lowry, one of the designers on the project, told commissioners they plan to follow all regulations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency since part of the gas station will reside in the shoreland zone of Detroit Lake, which is less than 1000 feet from water body’s high water mark. He also said there was a way to do this project right.

“There is additional residential that is planned for this area,” said Lowry. “If done correctly, which is what we intend to do, convenience stores and gas stations can fit well as a neighborhood support.” 

Then, residents again offered their comments for the board to consider.

One resident said: “The cost of my house and my neighbor’s house is equal to what the developer spent and that was in 2017.”

Another Detroit Lakes resident said: “I can’t find any evidence for the need of a gas station in my neighborhood. I’d like to know one fact, one piece of evidence showing that there is a need for a gas station in my neighborhood.”

One resident said: “South Shore Drive is not a big street and we should not expose our people to more traffic and of course there will be more traffic.”

Another Detroit Lakes resident said: “This should not be taken lightly. A gas station is something that you can’t just take away because it didn’t work out. Or taken away because it’s not a good fit for the community. I would like it if it was thought through more.”

Nine conditions were also added to the permit, which included:

Turning the gas station 90 degrees on its axis so a majority of light will face south. The lighting must also be deflected downward in an effort to mitigate light pollution.

Move the proposed gas station 250 feet further to the south on 270th Avenue, so it doesn’t line up with the entrance to South Shore Park. Include fencing for any garbage receptacle and posted “No Loitering” signs. A maintenance agreement between Lake View Township and the city of Detroit Lakes must be in place for the maintenance of a crosswalk to South Shore Park. And, the gas station is prohibited from installing a car wash in order to keep noise pollution to a minimum.

Barry Nelson, chair of the Becker County Board, said he thinks the problems are a proximity issue and not an environmental one because underground gas tanks now are a lot safer than they were decades ago.

“The (gas) tanks themselves are double-walled,” said Nelson. “They are inspected annually. It’s the proximity to lake residents and lake traffic, and the aesthetics of the community is kind of the negative for a gast station to be within that. I think the shoreland district, there’s higher scrutiny with that because of the lake properties and the lake.”

Commissioners then approved the measure on a 3-2 vote with Nelson and David Meyer, District 2, voting against the measure.

After approval of their conditional-use permit, Gehrig Properties said they expect to move into finalizing a deal for the property with a business and begin designing a more detailed site plan for the development.