- Despite neighbors efforts, Circle K has bought the land on the corner of Welaunee Boulevard and Dempsey Mayo Road.
- Neighbors have been vocal for months on their concerns about environmental and health impacts.
- Watch the video to hear about their next step:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A gas company has officially bought land on the corner of Welaunee Boulevard and Dempsey Mayo Road. The purchase is moving forward a project neighbors they voiced concerns about.
Steve Durie said he learned Circle K bought land less than a mile from his home from a Facebook post.
"They said this is something the community wanted and yet we have 250 signatures saying the contrary," Durie said.
Premier Commercial Group made a post, which has been deleted since, announcing the news. They noted they "...can't wait to see how this enhances the master plan of the community."
I told you about this project in September before the gas company bought the land.
Durie said the concerns from many neighbors are about impacts to the environment.
"We have a lot of families with young kids all around here and we don't want the fumes of the gas and the potential hazards," Durie said. "We don't want the runoff from spilled fuel to enter our backyards."
He and dozens of neighbors took their concerns to city hall earlier in the summer.
City Commissioner Curtis Richardson acted as a liaison between Circle K and the neighbors prior to the purchase
Richardson said Circle K did not want to negotiate, but he declined an interview to speak about the response.
I took these neighbors' concerns to University of Florida Environmental Engineering Professor Michael Annable.
He said there are some risks to groundwater contamination, which can permeate and end up in homes.
"Any time you put a tank full of chemicals in this case petroleum product, gasoline, into the subsurface you have to acknowledge the risk exists there," Annable said.
The professor said there are lots of modern technology to prevent that from happening.
" We're doing a good job of minimizing it, but we certainly can't eliminate it," Annable said.
I reached out to Justin and Jason Ghazvini with Premier Commercial Group at the end of September about the neighbor's concerns.
Justin wrote back to me. "I do not have any comment or information available on Circle K in Canopy," Ghazvini wrote.
I also reached out to Circle K's corporate team multiple times and have not heard back.
Durie said he and other neighbors will be at Wednesday's commission meeting asking the city to push further to stop the gas station,
"We are doing everything in our power to try and stop this," Durie said.
Durie said more than 15 neighbors plan to come out to the Tallahassee City Commission meeting Wednesday.
