Plan for Gig Harbor commercial fuel/retail site draws ire from some of its neighbors
A proposed commercial center in Gig Harbor would bring a gas station/convenience store, electric-vehicle charging station and a drive-thru coffee stand in what ultimately might be a two-campus site.
The site’s “west campus” involves four parcels across 3.5 acres at 6018-6118 Sehmel Drive in Gig Harbor, west of state Route 16 and bordering McCormick Forest Park.
The site begins at the corner of Sehmel Drive and Bujacich Road Northwest and continues east along Sehmel Drive.
A separate permit application, approved in mid-September, was for the demolition of a mobile home, barn and landscape structures at the development site.
The development “includes right-of-way dedication along Sehmel Drive, primary frontage improvements on Sehmel Drive and Bujacich Drive, sewer and water main extension; associated parking and landscaping improvements,” according to the application.
The applicant first filed for a pre-application conference in May 2023 and referenced a west and east campus.
The proposed gas station/store/coffee shop project is next to Sehmel Storage and Business Park.
The neighboring site is where an east campus was proposed early on for a new industrial park across three parcels, but for now only the west campus appears to be moving forward, though the submitted Traffic Impact Analysis includes a map of both.
An LLC affiliated with Cannon Companies, a utilities contractor based in Milton, is the site owner/developer. A representative listed in the LLC’s contact information did not respond Sept. 25 to a request for comment on the project.
According to Gig Harbor interim Community Development director Jeff Wilson, “The east portion of the site was referenced in a pre-application conference. No development permit for that portion of the site has been applied for at this time.”
A notice of application for the west campus was listed in August, with a comment period ending Sept. 20.
About a dozen comments about the project were emailed to the city. People who wrote in, many from Henderson Bay Estates, were primarily opposed.
“I have yet to notice any cars on Sehmel or on (state) Route 16 that have run out of gas,” wrote one. “Apparently drivers are managing quite well with the gas stations already in existence. And why would we need a convenience store when you can drive to Target or Walgreens in just a few minutes?”
Another wrote that it would “damage the essential character of the Swede Hill neighborhood,” while still another described it as “gas station/food mart/electric vehicle hang-out/parking facility/traffic congesting crime magnet.”
Several were concerned about the current two-lane design of the area’s roads handling additional traffic.
One resident wrote, “Adding a commercial development on Sehmel will add to traffic, which is already difficult at the roundabout on the west side of Burnham. To say that this will create a traffic nightmare for those of us living in developments west of the site is an understatement.”
Pierce County Planning and Public Works Traffic Division noted in its review of the traffic impact analysis that “the TIA recommends constructing an additional northbound lane (northbound left-turn lane and northbound right-turn lane) on Bujacich Road NW at the intersection with Sehmel Drive NW to improve service levels. If the City requires mitigation to the intersection, then we request the applicant to coordinate the intersection design with Pierce County for improvements that extend into County right-of-way.”
The county’s involvement stems from the project’s effect on some connecting county roads.
“The TIA has not analyzed any of the Pierce County arterial roadways and intersections that will be affected by 25 or more peak hour trips generated by the development,” the county’s feedback report stated. “We request that this analysis be performed; if a significant impact is created by the development, the development will be required to mitigate the impact.”
Alternatively, it noted, the developer could opt to pay a portion of a traffic-impact fee before permits are issued.
“If the developer chooses this alternative, we can provide the findings and mitigation to be included in the SEPA documentation,” the review noted.
The retail portion of the site involves obtaining a conditional-use permit as a “Sales Level 1 use,” according to the city’s municipal code. The process includes a public hearing and hearing examiner determination rendering a final decision.
“A hearing date before the hearing examiner has not yet been scheduled as we are waiting for revisions from the applicant,” Wilson told The News Tribune via email in response to questions earlier in September.
“When the public hearing is scheduled, the notice will provide information on how to submit public comments, when comments are due, and when the public hearing will be held,” Wilson added.
Development of parcels in the possible east campus site appear to be paused over code-compliance issues. The city has disputed clearing/grading it contends occurred without approval. Construction of small contractor sheds at the site have come under review through the open code-compliance case, as well as the operation of businesses within unpermitted structures “or which establish an unpermitted use of the site.”
In appeal documents filed with the city, attorneys for the developers contended the city’s Nonconforming Review Administrative Decision ignored “substantial evidence provided by the appellant, including land-use approvals granted by Pierce County, certificates of occupancy for the buildings as occupied and a valid reclamation permit.”
Wilson said the issues “are still unresolved” and are currently in the compliance process.
This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 9:00 AM.
