By DEMIE JOHNSON
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
A proposed gas station in the Village of West Clay neighborhood in Carmel is getting major pushback from people who live there. Neighbors said that kind of development just doesn’t belong there.
The Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals received 151 letters on the proposal; only about 10 were in support. In the letters, some neighbors said they would move out of the village, while others were concerned a gas station would bring crime to the area.
Jackie Phillips said those issues are important, but they’re on the bottom of her worry list.
“I think the general consensus that is home values, or crime … that’s the least of our worries. I think what we’re worried about is what would happen from an environmental and health aspect,” said Phillips.
Phillips is the woman behind the signs now in dozens of yards across the community. They read “No Gas Station.” She also created a website to help educate her neighbors.
Many of her neighbors already shared similar feelings before she put the information online.
“I have a family member that recently got diagnosed with a very serious health condition and we live in close proximity to the proposed location and that’s not ideal for what we’re facing as a family,” said Chris Wright.
“Should you be building a gas station next to an old person’s home, should you be building it across from where people live? There’s benzine that gets emitted through venting tubes,” said Jeff Bladen.
The gas station would be built on Harleston Street. The proposal will be heard at Carmel’s next Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Aug. 24.