Zoning commission OKs downtown H-E-B gas station

An H-E-B official says that originally, the Arsenal property wasn't bisected by Main Avenue. An H-E-B official says that originally, the Arsenal property wasn't bisected by Main Avenue. Photo: Bob Owen / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Bob Owen / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Zoning commission OKs downtown H-E-B gas station 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — The city's zoning commission Tuesday tipped the scales a little more in favor of H-E-B's downtown expansion plans, with members voting unanimously to support a key component of the project — even though several members sympathized with opponents.

Many of those fighting the city's effort to close part of South Main Avenue, a move sought by H-E-B, admit their work this week might prove futile, though they aren't willing to give up just yet.

The zoning commission's decision didn't touch on the proposed closure — it was in favor of rezoning property to allow H-E-B to build a gas station next to its planned downtown grocery.

Still, it was another setback for the opposition in the run-up to City Council votes on Thursday to close Main and enter an agreement with the locally based company to build the grocery.

Opponents' first defeat came last week when the San Antonio Conservation Society and King William Association withdrew their opposition to the controversial closure.

Some King William residents have raised more than $10,000 for a potential legal challenge to the proposal, which they fully expect the City Council to approve. And in a city with relatively meager competition among groceries, other critics Wednesday will announce they will begin boycotting H-E-B.

Even as they raise the stakes, one thing virtually all of the opponents agree on is the need for more time.

“It would be nice if everyone took a breath,” said Charlotte Luongo, a King William resident who plans to join the boycott.

She helped organize Main Access, a grass-roots group that plans to file suit if the City Council grants H-E-B's requests.

The organization includes several residents of the King William neighborhood, though about 2,000 residents from across the city have signed a petition on the Main Access website opposing the closure.

On Wednesday, members of the group will address the city's planning commission in hopes of persuading commissioners against recommending the closure of Main between César E. Chávez Boulevard and East Arsenal Street.

H-E-B has pursued that closure as part of a $100 million expansion plan to its Arsenal campus.

“Do I think that we have a good chance of delaying any of these votes? No,” Luongo said. “But I do think it's important that we certainly try.”

On Tuesday, she and her neighbors tried but failed to convince any of the city's zoning commissioners to oppose H-E-B's plan.

Before a vote, commissioners appeared to sympathize with the critics and their goals of killing or delaying the grocer's proposal to build a gas station at Chávez and South Flores Street. But all nine commissioners present voted in support of rezoning the corner to allow for a gas station.

Seven opponents spoke out against the gas station, citing environmental and public health concerns, potential impact on traffic in the area and the loss of an intersection that they said could house residential or other mixed-use projects. With the exception of H-E-B and city officials, no one spoke in favor of the gas station.

Commissioner Francine Romero specifically applauded the opponents for suggesting that opening a gas station there might contradict portions of the city's downtown development goals. She encouraged the critics to raise those concerns before the City Council on Thursday, but just moments later voted in support of the gas station.

“Nobody likes gas stations in their neighborhood, but everybody has them,” Romero said. “I'm just never going to be convinced that any place is just not the right place for a gas station.”

Other commissioners, including Chairman Orlando Salazar, doubted whether the Chavez-Flores intersection could handle its current traffic load and added lines of cars waiting to fill up at the proposed gas station.

“It is going to be a challenging decision for some of us,” he said, before adding, “I love H-E-B.”

He asked whether H-E-B could spend more time working with the community on the project, but a company representative rejected that suggestion.

The representative also said its 10,000-square-foot grocery store planned for the intersection couldn't succeed without a gas station.

Salazar said that was the overriding reason for his support.

“If it's going to help make the grocery store successful — which we desperately need downtown — then I'm going to end up being in favor,” he said.

nmorton@express-news.net