Why is the City of West Hollywood not concerned enough about the air quality and the potential poisoning that may impact West Hollywood?
In March 2020 the planning commission waived the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) requirements and waived any traffic study and voted to approve a new automatic car wash at the Chevron station located at LaCienega and Holloway Drive. I decided to appeal the planning commission’s decision.
At the invitation of the owner’s representative, I visited the owner’s other Chevron automatic car wash at La Brea Avenue and Beverly Boulevard. This is where I saw over 15 cars having to wait in line for over 50 minutes. Cars waiting in line blocked driveways, blocked gas pumps, and blocked parking spaces.
My appeal was denied by three council members, John Duran, John D’Amico, and Lindsey Horvath as they voted yes to approve the car wash. Councilmember, John Heilman recused himself as he lives nearby and Councilmember Lauren Meister voted no. Meister was the lone no-vote to allow the project to proceed, citing her concern about negative environmental impacts. Mayor John Erickson voted yes to approve this car wash when he was on the planning commission.
The staff report stated: “Specifically, the appellant-Cleary opposes the approval of the project based on the assertions that the project does not adequately address traffic mitigation measures; adds unnecessary additional beer and wine sales to the vicinity; did not follow proper public noticing and Planning Commission approval procedures; does not comply with environmental regulations; and that onsite parking is insufficient to support the proposed operation.”
The Chevron station owner Ben Pouldar told the council that the forthcoming car wash would be automated and able to process approximately 20 cars per hour with each car going through in around three minutes.
West Hollywood residents and business owners must prepare themselves for the volume of cars idling endlessly at this location. That will be 20 cars every hour waiting in line idling 12 hours every day – seven days a week. That will be 240 cars a day idling – which is 1,680 cars a week idling. That is 6,720 cars idling a month and will be 80,640 cars idling a year at this Chevron property.
The environmental impact of the long lines that will form must be a growing concern for residents and environmental advocates alike. Cars idling for extended periods, sometimes over an hour, release harmful pollutants into the air, contributing to smog, respiratory problems, and climate change.
Car exhaust contains nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Idling vehicles needlessly emit these dangerous pollutants into our air where they affect our environment and our health.
An hour of automobile idling burns approximately one-fifth of a gallon of gas and releases nearly 4 pounds of CO2 into the air. Excessive amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere can contribute to global warming. Particulate matter (PM) can aggravate asthma, cause coughing and difficulty in breathing, decrease lung function, exacerbate cardiovascular problems, and lead to chronic bronchitis. Carbon monoxide (CO) slows delivery of oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues. Exposure to CO aggravates heart disease and can cause headaches and visual impairment.
These health effects are more damaging in those with preexisting heart disease, asthma, or other lung problems. Children are also more susceptible, due to their faster breathing rate and the fact that their respiratory system is still developing. Idling pollutants also disproportionately affect the elderly, who have limited physiological reserves to compensate for the adverse effects of the pollutants.
In this same neighborhood children are attending St. Victor’s preschool and Pacific Hills grade school on Holloway Drive five days a week. There are also over one thousand residents living on two sides of this Chevron site: Empire West condos and the apartment building – The Terraces LaCienega.
Health effects of idling are related to engine exhaust, and include acute effects such as eye, throat, and bronchial irritation; nausea; cough, phlegm congestion; allergic or asthma-like respiratory response; increased risk for cardiac events; cancer, and chronic effects, such as bronchitis, decreased lung function, damage to reproductive function (low birth weight and damage to sperm chromatin and DNA).
For more info, residents can contact city hall and city officials at:
City Council: CC@weho.org
City Manager – David Wilson: DWilson@weho.org
City Attorney – Lauren Langer: Lauren.Langer@bbklaw.com
Traffic – Richard Garland: RGarland@weho.org
Public Safety – Danny Rivas: Drivas@weho.org
I couldn’t disagree with this article more. Give me convenience and fossil fuels and please stop with the climate change hoax.
Smoke from the burning meat of the hotdog vendors the city allows to pile up with10+ wagons in the middle of weekend crowds in the Rainbow District is full of toxic and other carcinogen chemicals.
The high-pitched noises emanating from these automated car washes, including the intermittent starting and stopping of the cycles and the subsequent blower/dryer, are going to drive the the residents of the surrounding buildings crazy. This disturbance will be much more severe than the car fumes.
Agree
Follow the money
This car wash is going to have cars lined up eight hours a day, 365 days a year!? Does anyone know if I can invest in this small business, the owner must be a genius.
What about the buses that need to get over 2 lanes of traffic going north on La Cienega to turn left on Holloway? That intersection is already a nightmare.
I suspect there are about 1,000 homes whose property line is within 250 feet of the property line of this car wash, in all directions. Where are those people? I would think they would have pitchforks showing up at all meetings. When they finally open the car wash, and all the noise, exhaust fumes and traffic are realized by those people, no doubt they will show up at meetings, after it is too late, and proclaim “I didn’t know anything about this, why wasn’t I told”. It would be interesting if someone tracked any campaign contributions from this Chevron station… Read more »
Why diss the neighbors? We all did show up via petitions, emails, calls, making statements at City Council meetings etc. All ignored. The fraud perpetrated by the developer was appalling. In Council meetings (put on the agenda at 9pm. Inconvenient to say the least for seniors to attend) the developer’s rep stated that access to CVS was difficult for people to buy beer and wine, so the Chevron store sales were convenient for the neighborhood. Really? CVS has three entrances via the parking lots and street and a big booze selection. Plus a 7/11 across the street and liquor store… Read more »
I feel bad for the neighbors that did show up, email etc. And I suspect most of them voted for the horrible Councilmembers who casually approved this disaster. I am familiar with the fact that it is very difficult to get neighbors involved, but they generally start showing up after it is too late, in this case when the power switch is turned on for the car wash adjacent to so many homes where people want to leave in peace. Anything awful in the City has Lindsey Horvath’s handprints all over it.
In this case, there was a full-on turn out of highly vocal and deeply committed neighbors. It wasn’t hard to get them involved at all. Everyone pitched in to get signatures on petitions and to show up at in-person and zoom meetings. Maybe hold back such harsh accusations in the future. We need support not criticism.. Thank you.
If my calculation is close that there are about 1,000 homes within 250 feet in all directions, and there are say 2 people living in each home, that’s, let me see, I calculate about 2,000 people. My recollection is about six people showed up to speak. I regret the Council ignores phone calls and emails, despite what they say. I believe we’re on the same side. I’m just saying when the City administration is incompetent and/or corrupt, decent people on the side of what is clearly right just don’t have a chance. Every one of the people on the City… Read more »
You seem very involved. What did you do to rally the 2,000 people you identified? The three immediate condo associations (84 units in Holloway Terrace, including single people, a handful of families and some couples) all three for a total of about 500 people, plus the apartment bldg. directly above the gas station were involved. Again, why disparage the efforts of those that showed up? How did you come up with six people? There were call-in speakers in the zoom session. Not sure about being on the same side with that kind of negative commentary. Sadly, many people had to… Read more »
THE FACT that the applicant misled. denied the truth, distorted the facts (lied) to the Planning Commission & to the CC, is grounds for reversing their decisions. That’s called perjury, fraud disrespect, negligence, misrepresentation & breaking the law. That’s why these disingenuous (to put it mildly) project developers are pariahs in the community. They are only interested in fattening their own bank accounts & have no consideration whatsoever in what’s good & appropriate for the community and the residents.
I took some time recently to view the video recordings of both the in-person March, 2020 Planning Commission meeting, plus the August, 2020 zoom meeting of the City Council. Both addressed the Chevron Gas station project. In attendance at both sessions were the developer, his representatives and nearby homeowners and renters; most of who were in opposition to the project. What was surprising to hear was how then planning commission member, John Erickson and I were on the same page. His comments, “the nightmare of that intersection…” “the circulation issue is a chaos agent…” and his repeated traffic concerns were… Read more »
That this travesty ever saw the light of day is a sad commentary on this city’s “leadership”. “I made a mistake” is the comment of an ambitious but incompetent politician who said he voted for this disaster, after “waiting to see how everyone else voted”. Pathetic. This intersection will go from a congested traffic trap to a worse & more imposing version of itself. One could choke on the air in the morning while trying to make your way through the crosswalk amid cars backed up & blocking the intersection in all directions. Then watch someone trying to turn left… Read more »
Omg!
Don’t worry, nothing will be built for 20 years.
From your lips to the goddess’s ears! The mechanics said they’ve been asked to vacate at the end of August when demolition will begin. However, it seems the owner has no permits as yet.
“I made a mistake.” John Erickson said when asked why he voted for it while on the planning commission. Like many other naïve city officials he was sold a bill of goods. I have come to rely on this service station, especially the service bay, which has kept my car running for 21 years. I will miss Julio and his crew who are efficient, knowledgeable, and kind. That corner, which is already hellish, is going to be even worse! If you go over and take a look at the traffic patterns there, you’ll see what I’m talking about! Like so… Read more »
Erickson makes a lot of mistakes because a) he doesn’t ask the right questions; b) he doesn’t listen; and c) he’s intellectually lazy. He’s all pomp and circumstance and little substance.
Now, this proposal to stop the careash is something I agree with. That corner and Chevron are already a busy nuisance at that congested corner.