Danby's

New Owner of Vacant Yalesville Gas Station is a Familiar Face in Meriden

9/24/2012

WALLINGFORD — The co-owner of a Meriden-based gasoline distributor has purchased the abandoned gas station at the corner of Route 150 and Route 68 in Yalesville and plans to reopen it.

Kevin Curry, co-owner of Danby’s Gasoline Marketers, doing business as Yalesville Gasoline Distributors LLC, purchased the property earlier this month for $412,500, according to property records.

“I’ve watched the site for a long time, I knew the old owners,” Curry said. “It’s a busy intersection. There’s no other gas station on Route 68 from Cheshire to Durham.”

According to a traffic study by the state last year, 22,000 cars per day pass through the intersection on Route 68, and 13,000 on Route 150.

Crews with Mobil began remediation of the property in the spring, digging up the old tanks. Curry said new tanks were in the ground and workers were cleaning out the interior of the old building. He expects the station to open in a few months.

In addition to the traffic, Curry said he was happy to purchase a station close to home.

“It makes a lot of sense,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to check on the site.”

The location was subject to a 1998 lawsuit, when Mobil Oil Corp. sued the town after the Planning and Zoning Commission denied the company’s application to convert a three-bay garage on the property into a 1,923-square-foot convenience store due to concerns about increased traffic at the busy intersection. A superior court judge sided with the town and Mobil didn’t appeal.

A public hearing was held last year on a project by the state Department of Transportation to add a lane to Route 68 in the area of the intersection to alleviate traffic concerns. The plans call for a widening of the road approximately in front of Westbrook Lobster. The project is expected to begin next year.

Curry said he planned to open the station as it was previously operated, with a small convenience store, before deciding whether he wants to use the garage as a repair station or seek permission from the town to open a larger retail store.
Doreen DeSarro, the town’s business recruiter, said the site was a good location.

“When it was open it was a very busy gas station,” she said. “I think there’s a need in the area. Whoever operates it, I think they’ll do very well.”

DeSarro said she was happy to see another vacant building in town occupied.

“Sometimes when these businesses close they can become an eyesore,” she said.

By Russell Blair, Meriden Record Journal


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