Clearlake planning commission pauses approval of Dan Road gas station over traffic and access concerns

The Clearlake Planning Commission opened a public hearing on April 26 on a conditional use permit for a proposed gas station, convenience store, 24/7 convenience retail area, drive‑through car wash and a small restaurant at 15895 Dan Road Extension (APN 01004353000).

Planning staff said the project is part of a three‑phase development that began with a Starbucks and would place a gas station on a vacant lot north of Starbucks; the applicant is requesting a conditional use permit (CEP 2022‑01) and staff framed the commission’s options as approving Resolution PC 2022‑08, denying it, or continuing the item for more information. Staff referenced prior traffic analysis by WTrans (April 2020) covering the broader study area and agency comments from the city engineer, Lake County Environmental Health, Lake County Special Districts and Caltrans.

Commissioners focused on site circulation, ingress/egress from Dan Road Extension, and parking. Commissioner Stewart said he had visited the site and described “a very unpleasant situation” for accessing the project from Dan Road Extension where, he said, there is no northbound left‑turn lane and drivers might be forced to cross a double yellow to enter the site. Stewart said he supported the project in general but asked that access issues be addressed before the project opens.

Members and public commenters also questioned whether the small parcel was being asked to accommodate too many uses. Resident Dave Hughes urged a new traffic study and said, “It appears to me that I’m trying to cram too much onto one parcel,” citing his own review of the parking table and concerns about delivery‑truck turning radiuses. The applicant’s representative, Alex Cuevas, said the design met distribution company templates for fuel delivery and that “a gas station is not a thing that you wake up in the morning, you say, I’m gonna go and visit today. People come and get gas and they go,” arguing that the parcel’s pump configuration and number of islands should reduce on‑site parking demand.

Environmental and sustainability concerns were raised by the Lake Group of the Sierra Club. Debra Salley, speaking by Zoom, thanked the commission for including electric vehicle charging in the plan and urged attention to car‑wash water recycling and local water impacts. The applicant had indicated on the site plan that three parking spaces adjacent to the car wash entrance would be dedicated for electric vehicle charging.

After deliberations, Commissioner Williams moved to continue the item and request that the city engineer return to describe how ingress/egress and traffic mitigation could make the project work; the motion was seconded and carried. Commissioners and staff agreed to schedule a follow‑up meeting with technical staff to identify potential engineering or striping solutions, determine whether an updated traffic study is needed for the proposed uses, and to clarify parking and circulation requirements.

Next steps: the commission continued the hearing and asked staff to arrange for the city engineer to present mitigation options and technical analysis at a subsequent meeting. The commission adjourned at 7:10 p.m.