Columbia City Council approves fuel station on West Broadway

The Columbia City Council Monday night unanimously approved the addition of a fuel station in the Gerbes parking lot at the Broadway Shopping Center.

The new station will have ten pumps for gasoline and a charging station for electric cars. Gerbes will build the fueling station in the southern part of the parking lot, near the intersection of West Ash Street and Clinkscales Road.

The plan came with eleven amendments, ranging from hours the station’s kiosk would be open, the restriction on tobacco advertisements outside and the color scheme of the canopy over the pumps. Some council members complimented Shelter Insurance, the owners of the property, for accommodating the changes, based on various recommendations.

Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe proposed an amendment to reduce the number of gasoline pumps to eight. Some residents at the meeting were concerned the increased traffic from the gas station would interrupt the already high pedestrian traffic. Mayor Bob McDavid, though, said he didn’t want the council to micromanage the station so much it would fail.

The council also tabled the “Ban the Box” ordinance for its December 1 meeting. The ordinance, proposed by the Mayor’s Task Force on Community Violence, would make it illegal for employers to ask about a job candidate’s criminal past before conditionally offering them employment.