Templeton residents to appeal county approval of 24-hour gas station 

The East Bennett Village project is facing the appeal efforts of Templeton residents after the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission voted 2-1 to approve the project on Aug. 10.

Ten-year Templeton resident Joe Jarboe said he's never seen a project like this proposed for seemingly no reason and contested so heavily by his fellow residents.

"This planned project is effectively like putting a 24-hour truck stop in the middle of a bunch of houses," he said. "In my opinion, and many others in this group, this project is unnecessary."

The Doug Filipponi-led project, set to be built off Highway 101 on Las Tablas Road, has been in the approval process for nearly three years, in that time undergoing standard legal processes and adjustments overseen by the Planning Commission and the Templeton Area Advisory Group.

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• Screenshot Taken From protecttempleton.org
• CONSTRUCTION CONTROVERSY Templeton residents are rallying against the construction of the East Bennett Village gas station claiming it is unnecessary and would only lead to disruption for the surrounding neighborhood.

Initially, the project featured a drive-thru fast-food restaurant, car wash, convenience store, and gas station amenities with each ensuing version asked to modify its details to meet town and county requirements—but the changes weren't what people expected, Jarboe said.

"After the county made requests, the developer went in and 'made' the changes—in reality just scrambling ideas around and adding things while only taking away major violators of county and town code," he said. "When they submitted the new plans in July of this year, they had also made adjustments that—while it took things out—also made the facility 24 hours."

He said that regardless of what the details of the structure are, the main concern comes from the amount of disturbance that would come from having a 24-hour gas station in a residential area.

"No one wants to live next to something that is running 24 hours a day because it will be a magnet to any people from outside the community coming off of the freeway," he said. "This would also be the only 24-hour, nonemergency facility in town so it would attract everyone into this neighborhood at all times when everything else is closed."

Residents are also concerned that the vote approving the project was 2-1—Commissioners Don Campbell and Alex Villicana voted yes, Chairperson Kristina Simpson-Spearman voted no, and Commissioners Anne Wyatt and Mariam Shah were absent from the meeting.

Those commissioners' absences, along with comments made by the commissioners who voted yes, have residents concerned that the county is passing this through without understanding the conflict it could cause.

"The two commissioners that voted yes started the meeting by commenting on how long they have known the applicant/developer [Doug Filipponi]. ... I can't help but wonder how their relationship impacted their decision," 20-year Templeton resident Denise Fitzgerald said. "With this and the absences, I feel that the vote to approve the plan as it currently stands needs to be considered."

Jarboe said that the group has ground to stand on for their appeal thanks to Templeton's Design Plan Standard—a document the town uses for any new developments.

According to him, the proximity to residential areas, the size of signs at the station—and their brightness—and a prohibition of nonemergency 24-hour facilities all make this something that shouldn't have been approved.

The Templeton Area Advisory Group first recommended project denial on July 20 and reaffirmed that again on Aug. 17, recommending that the county deny the project unless it was further modified to meet the requirements of the Templeton plan.

"You can argue all you want about if the design plan is good or not, but the bottom line is the plan exists and was made for people that live here or want to move here," Jarboe said. "If Filipponi wants to build it, it needs to comply with the design plan."

The Templeton Area Advisory Group did not move to file an appeal, citing its initial recommendation of the plan modifications—only discussing it and pushing the public to continue the process themselves.

"We are ready to file that appeal and have it be heard at the Board of Supervisors meeting," Jarboe said. "It does cost $850 to file, but we were lucky enough to crowdfund that amount as a community to ensure we can continue to fight this."

He said his group has until Aug. 24 to file the appeal, which would be heard by the Board of Supervisors at a future meeting.

Residents like Jarboe and Fitzgerald said that they understand development is a necessary part of a growing town but stressed to New Times that development should follow the needs of those who matter the most—the community.

"I would love for our county commissioners, planners, and developers to take a look at other areas that have grown but maintained their character and charms so that we can keep Templeton unique," Fitzgerald said. "Growth is inevitable, but this type of growth—if allowed—can have a huge impact for our entire lifetimes." Δ