Gas stations prohibited on 6.5 acres of Gateway Parcel

Blaine City Council voted to prohibit gas stations on approximately 6.5 acres of city-owned land on the Gateway Parcel.

Boblett Properties LLC, representing Yorkston Oil Co., came to the city with the recommendation.

The firm is currently in negotiations with the city to purchase and transfer land on the parcel, which is the site of the former Blaine Municipal Airport.

According to a city staff report, Yorkston Oil Co. intends to build a truck fuel stop, fast food restaurant, coffee shop and convenience grocery store.

As part of the action taken by city council, the city manager will propose a price to Boblett Properties LLC that will take into account the potential reduction in value and loss of future revenue.

This one in a series of amendments to a purchase and sale agreement the city has already signed with Boblett Properties LLC.

The vote comes just two weeks after the city council voted to decline an offer from an investment firm to purchase 6 acres on the north end of the parcel to build a truck fuel stop, a coffee shop, a fast-food restaurant and a 20,000-square-foot grocery store.

Mayor Bonnie Onyon said the city has interest in using the remainder of the city-owned parcel potentially for a hotel, premium grocery store, sports facility, medical clinic or multi-family housing.

“We really have a need for another hotel,” she said. “This location would be so ideal for that.”