There’s good news for motorists traveling between Kamas and Park City on Old Highway 40: A new gas station might be coming to the northeast corner of Quinn’s Junction.
With only one place to fuel up in the Park City limits, the proposed Maverik location could provide a much-needed option at the Park City Business Park. The Salt Lake City-based corporation requested an amendment to the current zoning that would make a gas station and convenience store a permitted use in the area, which the Summit County Council granted on Wednesday.
“I think this would be a really great asset for people who live Kamas area, Tuhaye, all of those areas up through there,” Vice Chair Tonja Hanson said. “It’s going to be really helpful. It might, I don’t know, take a little bit of traffic off the road, not looking for a gas station to get into town. I am supportive of this.”
The 141-acre parcel is the only service commercial zone in Summit County. There is already a concrete plant, towing business, gun range, auto repair shop, commercial retail, art studio, offices and live work development located inside the area.
However, gas stations were not allowed there until this week. The change only affects the service commercial zone where Maverik applied to build, but any gas station or convenience store is now welcome to apply.
Maverik is currently under contract to purchase property on the land in question. Then, it must apply for and receive a conditional use permit to build the new location.
It would be the first Maverik in Summit County since the gas station on the corner of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive closed in the spring of 2020.
“We’re excited about getting a Maverik gas station back in Summit County,” said Richard Piggott, senior entitlement manager.
The County Council was supportive of the project, though Roger Armstrong wanted more information about environmental protections. The site is close to wetlands in the area, and he asked how gasoline storage tanks are monitored.
“We use the latest in leak detection. We use plastic, reinforced underground tanks. We install leak detections that are monitored in our home office as well as the store itself. In this particular site, the geotech report has come back very favorable to us,” Piggott said. “It’s a very low penetrative site. It’s really hard ground.”
An extra liner would be installed at the site for additional protection.
Piggott also noted Maverik owners Crystal and Chuck Maggelet, residents of Deer Valley, are committed to meeting the United States Environmental Protection Agency regulations and take the environmental standards very seriously.
Chuck, Maverik’s CEO, announced this week he would retire in early May, according to a video that was posted on the company’s YouTube. Crystal will temporarily step into the role as Maverik searches for a replacement.
The Snyderville Basin Planning Commission will have final approval of the project. Members previously offered support for a gas station in the Quinn’s Junction neighborhood.
There are no service stations on S.R. 248, which means residents living in the corridor must drive to Kamas or Park City to get gas. A new service station in Quinn’s Junction could “reduce vehicle trips … by providing an alternative gas station for those residents.”