Canopy residents say not in their backyards over planned Circle K – in their backyards

Upset Canopy residents who say they were promised a town center say they were instead blindsided by plans for a Circle K gas station and convenience store, which will be built roughly 60 feet away from homes.

During public comment at last week's Tallahassee City Commission meeting, a stream of residents decried the proposed construction of the filling station at Welaunee Boulevard and Dempsey Mayo Road, in the new neighborhood in northeast Tallahassee. At least a dozen residents attended.

At least one readily admitted it was a case of "Not In My Backyard."

One resident said the station would be a source of light, noise and air pollution for neighbors.

That dovetailed with another concern voiced by residents: The proposed station's proximity to homes could pose a health risk and lead to environmental damages, including storm runoff.

Moreover, there are already three gas stations and convenience stores on Capital Circle Northeast, roughly a mile from the entrance to Canopy, and another gas station just north of the neighborhood, according to online maps.

The area where the Circle K would be built is owned by Premier Fine Homes, operated by the Ghazvini family, a notable name among Tallahassee developers. The Ghazvinis did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Now, city officials say they'll take a deeper dive into the issue before the project can turn dirt.

Locals didn't hold back on worries over health, crime

Canopy residents didn't mince words at the microphone as they detailed their distress to the commissioners on the dais.

Lauren Schuler said she attended previous commission meetings and sent multiple emails to bring the issue to City Hall's attention.

The planned Circle K would be "uphill, directly in my backyard. This was not something that was relayed to us whenever we purchased the home; we were told that there was going to be nothing put in that spot."

"Any of you probably feel that a gas station in your backyard would reduce your quality of life, it would significantly increase the health hazards that you're being exposed to on a daily basis that you can't avoid because you live there," Schuler continued.

Karen Bradley said she felt as though she was "sold a bill of goods."

While echoing other speakers, she pointed to a Tallahassee Democrat story about a rash of violence at gas stations.

"With the exception of one, they were all at Circle Ks," she said.

"We have been ... lied to by the developer," she added. "We have been told many, many times about all of these wonderful things that are going to happen and this town center was going to be this paradise."

City's response: Let's get everyone to the table

After being asked by Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey, Growth Management director John Reddick explained that in 2021 there was a request to modify the neighborhood's development plan to include gas stations, which aligned with the Comprehensive Plan, the city's blueprint for growth.

From there, the site plan application for the Circle K came late last year, which Reddick said is the first step in the permitting process. He said he was unable to give more updates due to the lack in communication from the applicants, Circle K representatives.

While Dailey emphasized that city commissioners don't have the authority to block a project that complies with code, the Circle K would still have a handful more permits to pull before any building can start.

With that in mind, Dailey said he wanted staff to look into the environmental concerns at all the Circle Ks in Tallahassee before they move forward with building a new one.

"I got a neighborhood and not a single person is in favor of this," Dailey said. "I'm struggling because we have no formal role in this either, it would be more like reaching out in good faith of – hey, can we bring the parties together and figure this out."

After residents said they only learned of the project when a sign was posted on the lot, Dailey said that it's also time to review the resident notification requirement for developers aiming to build near neighborhoods. He added that he wanted to begin the process of reviewing the comprehensive plan and allowable uses for macro-developments.

The mayor also said he would like to bring together concerned residents, Circle K representatives, developers and city staff to discuss possible compromises. He didn't detail what those would be.

At the end of the meeting, the mayor asked if Curtis Richardson would take the lead on facilitating a conversation with the parties.

"I wanted to make sure we bring that meeting together and get these issues aired and addressed," Richardson said.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Canopy residents say not in their backyards over planned Circle K – in their backyards