Residents urge council to block Maverick truck stop near Fairlawn; zoning vote postponed after valid protest

Several residents spoke at the June 17 meeting to oppose a proposed Maverick truck stop near the I-70 ramps at Fairlawn, citing safety, noise and property-value concerns. Council could not vote on the zoning application that night after staff said a valid protest petition was filed.

Janice DeBoer, who lives steps from the proposed site in West Hills, said she timed truck movements at the Fairlawn ramps and found very few trucks exiting the highway onto the nearby access ramps during short observations — but many trucks pass under the bridge: "If hundreds of trucks, maybe thousands, stop at that truck stop, there's every reason to believe they will," she told the council and asked elected officials to "please keep it that way."

William Welch, calling in by phone, said his neighborhood includes the Governor's Mansion grounds, parks, Landon Middle School and residential streets used by walkers and bicyclists. "In residential heavy residential areas like this, it's a very bad idea," Welch said, citing safety and noise concerns and the potential for depressed property values.

Councilwoman Miller told the meeting that the zoning case for Fairlawn Acres (the Maverick proposal) had been left off the agenda that night because of a valid protest petition; she said the item was tentatively moved to July 1 pending availability of a full governing body. No council action was taken June 17; council members asked staff to continue processing the application and to provide information before any vote.

City staff and the applicant will proceed with the normal public-notice and hearing schedule; the council will have a chance to deliberate when a full quorum is present.