CA City Bans new gas stations

Yes, I had a BMW 120d on a business trip to Austria, and it had both a manual transmission and start/stop feature. That was around 2010.

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Gas stations are going to go away weather the Government steps in or not. The world is running out of oil. What would happen if we didn’t do anything and just waited til oil dried up?

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If you are still a working guy, then I agree that you are probably relegated to getting gas at peak demand times. I am lucky to be long-retired, so I usually get my gas in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week. At the time of day when I normally go to Costco for gas, the worst case scenario is that there might be one car is ahead of me, but very often I can pull directly up to the pump.

If I was still working, I would probably go to stations other than Costco, in the interest of saving time.

Apparently gas stations would go away anyway. So
no need to ban building new ones.

The land can be better used for other purposes. California’s goal is to have 5 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, that should result in less gasoline needed.

Cities have completely different reasons for banning gas stations then small cities and towns. In all of Boston city limits I think there’s only 3 gas stations
and neither one are Citco
I live in a small town and we have at least 5 gas stations.

Again, if there’s no demand for new gas stations, there will be no supply of new gas stations. A “ban” isn’t necessary. Unless there is a forced lack of demand. I don’t like being forced into things myself. Maybe that’s just me.

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I remember back about 1956 when we got our Summer 3rd grade Weekly Readers to keep us informed and reading during the Summer, lots of articles on the oil shortage and how we were doomed. Liars been lying for a long time. Wish I would have kept them but 'spose Mom threw them away along with my model cars and planes. Would have been fun to read again.

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Let there be gas stations on every corner and pawn shops in between? Better community planning is necessary.

After the gas station is no longer profitable we are left with this;

Tear it down and build something else. I don’t see the issue. It looks as good as any other boarded up, derelict building. If you ban new gas stations faster than demand for them subsides, that may be where you’ll be buying gas in a few years.

I doubt a gas station on every corner with a pawn shop in between would be profitable. Maybe in Vegas. (Kidding)

Yes, I agree that cities need planning and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t allow a new gas station to be constructed in all areas before the ban. They most likely already have zoning restrictions. “No new gas stations period” in the entire city while 90 some odd percent of vehicles on the road still run on gasoline or diesel seems to be getting the cart before the horse. If 90% of the vehicles in that city were EV’s (they’re not and they most likely won’t be for a decade or two, if ever), then I’d think the ban made sense. Do the EV thing first. Stop building gas stations when they’re unnecessary. Simple.

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 and the changing nature of retailing is beginning to alter the marketplace for other types of goods, as well. In my state, the nation’s first outlet mall has slowly been dying over the past decade or so, and it was just announced that it will be bulldozed and replaced by housing.

Even “regular” malls are already partially vacant after the failure of Lord & Taylor and some other large retailers and the downsizing of the JC Penney and Macy’s chains. In some areas of the country, large regional malls are being converted–in part–to assisted living facilities with several on-site medical offices. Other big box stores are being converted to Amazon facilities.

What really puzzles me is the phenomenon of developers who continue to build smallish strip malls, despite the fact that many of the older strip malls have been partially vacant for many years. Near me, one new strip mall has finally acquired two tenants (out of a total of 12 storefronts) more than 3 years after it was completed. Another one, less than 1 mile away, is only partially-built, despite construction having started at least 4 years ago. If they had tenants lined-up, it would have been completed long ago.

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Not really a new thing. How many “downtowns / main street’s have you seen with boarded up storefronts? Luckily, our city revitalized the downtown area, at least on the main drag. A couple of streets over to the north still looks pretty crappy, though.

Easier said than done with the EPA’s restrictions on removing under ground tanks.

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It’s been done before. I’ve bought the tanks.

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I know it has been done but a lot depends on the area if it worth it or not.

I see a vast difference between deteriorating older downtown areas and the continued construction of new strip malls in suburban and rural areas where the existing 20-30 year old strip malls have been largely vacant for years.

You don’t see a difference between those two situations?

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Deteriorating buildings are deteriorating buildings for the most part. However, it seems like they could use the areas where the old strip malls are to construct the new ones. And the old downtown buildings are at least sometimes architecturally interesting!

Old businesses were closed because the strip malls and chain stores were constructed. Strip malls and chain stores close because of online retailers. That’s what I was referring to as “nothing new”. Different, but the same.

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Well gee, as said you could use the same picture for deserted malls. Couple around here like Southdale. Maybe holding its own but haven’t been there for years but lots of them are imploding due to the internet shopping. Yes things change but bulldoze and build anew. The thing to remember though is most of them are are owned by investment companies. They don’t like to finance old dilapidated strip malls with no customers in bad areas of town.

Yeah I have to laugh at the emphasis here put on saving historical buildings downtown. They are maybe 100 years old and just plain ole brick building with some fancy window and facia on the front. 100 years is historical? Like been to Rome? That’s historical. I have no problem if people want to put their money into restoring these buildings but don’t think our collective (tax) money should be doing it.

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That’s what’s supposed to happen. As oil supply dwindles and demand stays the same the price will go up. And eventually the price would get high enough that many people won’t be able to afford gasoline, and the market will sort that out and find alternative fuel and transportation options, like hybrids and electric cars and probably a number of other things.

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As of today I am a working guy again, after recovering from a triple bypass 4 weeks ago!

It’s not just the time of day, it’s where it is. I can’t see driving 6 miles out of my way to save $2 on a fill up. I mean if you’re already there then great but I hear of people who go there specifically to buy gas.

Hopefully I’ll be that lucky one day. I’m 52, figure I’ll be working for another 20 years.

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