Lacey public hearing for Meridian Market and Gas set for tomorrow morning

A public hearing for the controversial Meridian Market and Gas Station was moved from on April 4 moved to Tuesday, April 12, 10:00 a.m.

Lacey Senior Planner Samra Seymour said they postponed the hearing due to the high possibility that people might not be able to participate because of the power outages in the area.

"Mother Nature had other plans," Seymour said. "We had a windstorm in this area, and many Meridian campuses has been without power."

Last month, Lacey Planning Commission members noted neighbors’ concerns and commented on residents holding protests against the plans to develop the market and gas station at the northeast corner of Willamette Drive and Campus Glen Drive.

It’s the gas station

“It's the gas station portion that folks are particularly and vehemently opposed [to),” wrote neighbor Cheryl Ricevuto, in a letter to The JOLT. “ Air (benzene), light, and noise pollution are key, in addition to the increased traffic expected from the warehouse area.

Rick Walk, Lacey's director of community development, said the public hearing would address the concerns raised by some residents, including transportation and pedestrian safety.

The Meridian Market and gas station is based on the Meridian Campus plan of Thurston County in the 1980s. Lacey annexed the land in 1992, which provided varieties of uses such as commercial, residential, industrial, and institutional zones.

Based on its project proposal, the commercial district would have a Chevron gas station and two commercial buildings that provide 9,000 square feet of commercial and office space.