A developer’s new traffic impact study for a hotly debated gasoline station/convenience store project along Highway 101 in Redwood Valley claims the peak traffic will likely be only one-quarter of earlier estimates.
The analysis, released Friday, April 26, 2024, and Caltrans’ demands for a right turn lane off the freeway are sure to be significant points of contention at a county Board of Supervisors hearing on May 7 regarding a use permit for the 10-pump station project. The project has widespread opposition in the Redwood Valley, leading to developer calls for at least one sympathetic board member to recuse himself after publicly questioning the proposal.
In a new twist, Haji Alam, the president of the station proponent Faizan Corp. of Ukiah, declared Friday that if the county board denies a use permit, he will consider selling the site to a local tribe that has expressed interest in the freeway frontage property.
“Neighbors will have no say in what the tribe can build, and there will be no sales tax dollars or property tax for the county,” warned Alam.
Christine Boyd, a member of the Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council, said Friday that she was not surprised by Alam’s threat.
“It’s either his way or the highway,” said Boyd.
Boyd said Redwood Valley residents are undeterred. “Our opposition is loud and clear, and we are prepared to show that to the board at the upcoming hearing,” vowed Boyd.
The project site is on a commercial strip along the east side of the Highway 101 freeway and below the valley floor. It is a mixed cluster of businesses with a history of struggling economically. Alam and his supporters argue that the new station will serve as an ‘anchor’ for the strip development.
Boyd, however, said valley residents fear noise from traffic and big rigs will disrupt the lifestyles of nearby valley residents. “This is an urban-style project he wants to plop in a country setting,” said Boyd.
Alam’s headquarters is in Ukiah, but his Faizan Corp. owns gas station/market operations in Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Yolo counties. Last year, Faizan was ordered to pay $500,000 for 64 environmental and business practice violations in seven counties, including Mendocino. Alam has been quoted as saying the fines were “100 percent housekeeping stuff.”
The proposed project has been under public scrutiny since the county Planning Commission denied Alam’s use permit application on Jan. 5. The decision was appealed on March 26 to the Board of Supervisors, who then decided to continue its review pending an analysis of a traffic study which disputed Caltrans’ belief that the new station could generate 5,300 daily trips.
Comments and questions raised at the March hearing by Coast Supervisor Ted Williams led to Alam’s attorney demanding that the supervisor recuse himself from the upcoming May 7 hearing, where he is seen as a possible swing vote.
Attorney Brian Momsen ripped Williams’ public comments at the March hearing, contending that they were outside the “quasi-judicial role” board members are to assume in deciding land use issues. He blasted the supervisor for his “half-baked conclusions” and “outrageous comments.”
Williams then defended his remarks, contending that he attended the March 26 hearing with an “open mind.”
Williams could not be reached on Friday for comment on whether he intended to recuse himself or the results of the revised traffic analysis prepared by W-Trans, a traffic engineering consulting firm with offices in Santa Rosa and Oakland.
The report, paid for by Alam, was based on traffic studies conducted at a Chevron station/convenience store the developer owns at Lake Mendocino Drive near Highway 101 freeway and an Arco station on Talmage Avenue.
The revised study does not include data from a nearby tribal-operated Coyote Valley fuel and convenience store north of the disputed site, as the Board of Supervisors specifically sought because W-Trans representatives said they could not obtain permission to install data collection devices.
“The two sites chosen for the analysis were the Chevron station at 50 W. Lake Mendocino Drive and the Arco at 615 Talmage Ave.,” said company representatives William Andrews, assistant engineer, and Dalene Whitlock, senior principal.
Andrews and Whitlock concurred that based on the lower and “more realistic trip generation,” a disputed right turn lane is not warranted despite state concerns.
According to traffic consultants, the significant difference in estimated traffic volume is due to old data that doesn’t reflect current vehicle fuel efficiency, remote work, and online shopping. As a result, Andrews and Whitlock said the earlier trip estimation “substantially overstated the potential effects of the proposed project.”
Heard rumors a couple yrs ago that the Coyote tribe plans to build a truck stop just south of their gas station. No doubt faizn wants a truck stop as well. Does he plan to build before the tribe does to short circuit their plans. As to any tribe purchasing the land and building whatever they would fall under the same environmental concerns but doubtful they would want another gas station to compete with their gas station.
Let him build. Have you seen the tweeker scum that fills the Pomo pump station?
I FUCKING KNEW IT WAS THE TRIBE KEEPING THIS FROM BEING BUILT!!
THEY FINALLY SAID THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD!!
‘if the county board denies a use permit, he will consider selling the site to a local tribe that has expressed interest in the freeway frontage property.”
It was also the local gas stations (I.E. Diesel stations) that were blocking Costco from being built since it was considering a set of diesel pumps along with gas. Locals were so mad Costco didn’t get diesel. Coyote Valley gas station literally tried to collude with the then General Mgr. at the time and was rejected for the obvious reasons.
How did you know LOL which tribe? There’s more than a few and I know that Coyote Valley has no interest in that property. If a tribe bought it, it would take more than 8 years to get it approved for trust, meaning nothing can be done with the land until then…
The tribe. A mostly empty new hotel. Gambling is a bad habit and not as popular as it once was. Why throw away hard earned money? The new cannabis dispensary sits empty, un finished after years of construction at the Coyote Valley gas station. Suspect most wo would roll in and out would not be locals. Not a great move in the name of progress honestly.
Actually I would love a local Redwood Valley dispensary
Well – this looks fishy to me.
First: Because the applicant/developer has suddenly come up with a new, lower volume, traffic study after running into local opposition. The lower number also would seem to make an expensive 101 right turn lane lane unnecessary. Why, suddenly, would the numbers change?
Second and more important: The applicant/developer has reportedly threatened to sell the location to the Indians – making local control or objections useless – if the developer does not get his way. I do not know that this proposed sale is possible, or if it will have the effect that the applicant threatens, but this looks to me like blackmail.
I also see this as yet another attempt by a developer trying to use, in the worst sense of the term, America’s Native peoples to advance the developer’s interests. I am thinking that developers are trying to use the Guidiville tribe in their Palace Hotel scheme in this same way.
I am white, my ancestors are European, and to my dismay my people have taken everything that the Native People had. I do not want the Native People to be further used.
Thirdly; This developer wants a County Supervisor to recuse himself because he has expressed an opinion on this matter – what a crock! We elect our Supervisors largely based on their opinions and we expect them to speak up.
Isn’t extortion illegal?
“In a new twist, Haji Alam, the president of the station proponent Faizan Corp. of Ukiah, declared Friday that if the county board denies a use permit, he will consider selling the site to a local tribe that has expressed interest in the freeway frontage property.”
It’s not extortion to sell a property to a willing buyer. It’s real estate. The county loses out on tax revenue which is what will happen if the tribe buys the land. The County is around $18M in a deficit. I hope the BOS has alternative ways to bring in tax revenue if they block this venture.
I am confused by this article. So the use of any land bought by tribes is Sovereign now? I thought it was to be used just for original Tribal areas of habitation and had to be designated at such, first and foremost. Native Americans were all over the lands, but not everywhere. Very sadly and with racism they were only given, bad areas, to live on. I get making up for that. Still some reservations are ignored and neglected. Because the land holds no value to businesses?? That is so wrong in my eyes. It was historical fact nations sold off areas because the money was needed. Give back Anderson Marsh…indeed maynot be popular but that would be appropriate in my view. But avoiding tax…which all Americans/Californians have to pay for, anywhere, seems like a lawyers and other investers dream. It needs to be the Native Americans dream. I believe that was the intention of Sovereign nation.
As to be used as a leverage tool by someone else to get own way in a business real estate deal is so bazaar. Honestly… rather see a cultural Native center right off the highway. Tourist that want cultural exsperiences based on history is where the money is to be made. Look at Europe.
Why don’t you just tell them to live in mud huts? It’s called compensation. Churches don’t get taxed either.
And naturally the comment section has gone anti tribe…
This businessman is behaving similarly to another businessman who threatened the city of Ukiah awhile back. It’s either I get my way or else! Not to mention the freeway hazards that Caltrans identified, and the homeowner who’s getting ripped off. Deny this! We don’t need anymore stinkin’ gas stations!
“Alam has been quoted as saying the fines were “100 percent housekeeping stuff.””
Quote from:
https://mendofever.com/2023/01/30/gas-station-owner-will-pay-500k-to-settle-violations-at-locations-in-mendocino-lake-sonoma-and-other-counties/
“Prosecutors alleged that Alam and Faizan Corporation failed to adequately install, monitor, operate, and calibrate important equipment on-site designed to detect leaks, and failed to comply with laws regulating hazardous wastes and hazardous materials at certain stations. Additionally, prosecutors alleged defendants failed to label fuel dispensers with the correct octane rating and price per gallon, and falsely advertised the sale of lower-octane gasoline as higher-octane at certain stations.”
These “alleged” violations are 0% “housekeeping stuff”.
Faizan appears to operate with bad faith, at the least, and at worst, is devious and a bold face d*mn liar.
These are not “subjective” type allegations. They are all “measurable”, finite, objective type allegations.
Running low octane in my work truck could cost me near $10,000 (just in repair, not including lost revenue due to downtime), when, not if, the detonation cracks a piston and/or slings a rod.
In my opinion, this is not the type of business-person that should be allowed to have more fueling stations here in Mendo, regardless of the location.
Go piss up a rope, Faizan, you lack the requisite integrity to garner the trust of any community.
Right with eversharp!
Nimby Boomer Clown World
County Broke
Gas Station Bad – Taxes Bad
Tribal Gas Station Good – No Taxes Good
Haji 1 – County 0
Well done you!