Waterford ― At its meeting Tuesday, the Planning and Zoning Commission conditionally approved a new gas station and convenience store on Route 1.

Currently, the location at 118 Boston Post Road is home to a closed Citgo gas station and is in the general commercial zone district. The property borders Waterford Pizza Palace and is across the street from a McDonald’s

The commission, operating with three regular members and an alternative, unanimously approved the 1,560-square-foot store with three, double-sided gas pumps and a canopy. The previous gas station used four gas pumps and had a significantly smaller 677-square-foot store.

Tim Griffing of Loureiro Engineering Associates Inc. presented the plans on behalf of the applicant Ahmed Choudhry of Mehak Reality LLC.

Griffing explained that the current setup will be demolished so the new store and pump stations can be built from scratch. The plans also call for a 1,296-square-foot canopy to be built above the pump stations to provide coverage from weather for customers and a wastewater drainage system. A designated loading zone to the left of the store is also in the plans, along with proper lighting, traffic control signs and a basin to collect storm water. The facility will be handicap accessible.

The Zoning Board of Appeals previously issued variances for the project that permits a reduction in parking spots along with front and rear setbacks.

Alternate commissioner Bertrand Chenard raised a few concerns. First, he said he was concerned that the evergreen trees proposed for the boarder between the new store and the pizza place would grown outward into the neighboring driveway. Griffing said he would have to double check with his colleague who designed the landscaping, but believed the chosen species of tree grows vertically rather than outwardly.

Chenard also pointed to the safety of the fueling stations while a tanker is parked to refill the entire station. Based on the plans, either side of the center pump would be blocked and force customers to find another way to the pumps. Griffing said it is typically up to the driver of the tanker to put down cones to help direct traffic in those instances.

Chenard’s final concern noted that the plan as it stands does not include how the water runoff from the canopy would reach the water basin to the right of the building. Griffing could only guess that the plan was for it to pour through downspouts onto the asphalt and run into the basin.

The plan shows the entrance and exit of the site would be one way. Commissioner Karen Barnett asked if the previous station had the same setup, to which Griffing said it did not and was a “free for all.”

Commissioner Timothy Conderino asked how the tanker trucks would fit onto the property and still allow customers to enter and exit the property. Griffing explained that they designed the project to be accessed by a 53-foot tanker that is one step below the biggest semi-truck on the roads, and assured there will be ample room on either side of the truck.

In order to address concerns from the commission and the town’s Design Review Board, the project was approved with conditions that must be met and shown on the final plan.

The commission requires that a copy of the completed storm water maintenance and inspection reports be provided to the Planning and Zoning Department on a continual basis, building material details — including color — be provided to the Design Review Board for review, the canopy run-off water must be piped into the rest of the drainage system and the curbing must be mountable and made of concrete to avoid damage by tankers.

k.arnold@theday.com