The City of San José approved construction for an expansion of the Rotten Robbie gas station on E. Julian Street, roughly half a mile from San José State on Wednesday evening.
The conditional permit that was unanimously approved will double the square footage of the property and remove two billboards, a 800-square-foot storage building and a tree, according to the agenda of the City of San José.
Conditional permits allow a city to examine special uses that could be essential or wanted in an area, according to training by the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research.
The current square footage of the area is 1,200 square feet and will increase to 3,183 square feet, according to the same agenda.
Angela Wang, the planning project manager, spoke about the project and what would come from this permit.
“This conditional use permit is also to allow early morning operations of the new convenience store,” Wang said.
This permit is also to approve the sales of beer and wine in the area, according to the agenda of the City of San José.
“The police department has revealed the project is neutral to the sale of alcohol and the early morning operation hours,” Wang said.
She said there is a mitigation management and operations plan prepared for this project.
Mitigation plans help to create a foundation for a community to reduce losses, reconstruction and damage, according to a California Governor's Office of Emergency Services webpage.
Similarly, operational planning is when a department works to employ a strategic plan, according to the webpage by Planful.
“The plan includes measures such as installing security cameras, cleaning trash and graffiti,” Wang said.
She said the plan also includes a staff training program to ensure there is no detriment to the general welfare of the area or its residents.
Wang said there will be a total of 2,000 square-foot sales area with 110-square feet dedicated to beer and wine sales.
Armando Gomez, a representative from Robinson Oil Corporation, spoke to the planning commission about the history of the business.
“Robinson Oil Corporation manages about 40 different Rotten Robbies,” Gomez said.
He said the company has been in operation for 75 years and is based in Santa Clara.
Sylvia Ornelas-Wise, vice chair of the planning commission of the City of San José, said she is concerned about the monitors on the gas pumps.
“The operations are so early in the morning and some (monitors) are so loud, (the businesses) have the volume up really loud for the neighborhood,” she said.
Erin Graziosi, president of Robinson Oil Corporation, said the current pumps will remain.
“We’re not at this point looking to replace the pumps,” Graziosi said. “Some of the new versions do have large screens, but at this time we have no plans to replace them.”
She said years ago they tried to replace the pumps, but received various neighborhood complaints and made the decision to shut them down.
“We’re kind of in the process of updating our brand and bringing those stores to meet today’s needs of our customers, employees and neighborhoods,” Gomez said.
