Plans are in the works for a gas station at the northwest corner of Modeland Rd. and Berger Rd.
City council voted 5-3 Monday night in favour of a rezoning application for a service station, car wash, and restaurant.
Councillor Anne Marie Gillis expressed concerns about Modeland Rd. access.
"The gas station itself, having two entrances now, is going to create a greater amount of traffic congestion then we've ever seen there before," said Gillis. "Knowing full well, right now, the way that traffic comes from Berger onto Highway 40 [Modeland Rd.], many times people will run the red lights or do rolling stops and I'm surprised that we haven't had more accidents."
Gillis also questioned the environmental safety of installing underground fuel tanks in a floodplain.
"Looking at the 100-year storms that we've experienced and trying to change the way that we have our construction methods to accommodate the more violent storms and the extremes that we are experiencing in mother nature, just speak volumes to me, and I can not approve this," said Gillis.
Councillors Bev MacDougall and Brian White also voted against the recommendation. Mayor Mike Bradley was absent.
Councillor Mike Kelch felt proper planning had been done in the past and would be again.
"This area is a floodplain," said Kelch. "The area also contains huge school buildings, community centres and several hundred houses. So, measures were taken to address the flood issues in those cases and the same measures will be taken here."
Kelch also pointed out that fuel storage technology has also improved in the past 10 years.
"You heard about the dual walled storage vessels for fuel, with leak monitoring. I mean, it's a good system," said Kelch.
In 2008, the former Sarnia Official Plan and Zoning by-law were amended to permit this type of commercial development on the vacant land.
Currently, other than Bright's Grove, Sarnia only has one gas station north of Hwy. 402, on Murphy Rd. near Wiltshire Dr.