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WARREN — A move by the Warren Planning Commission to discuss plans for another gas station has residents asking the question: Does Warren have too many?
At the Planning Commission’s Dec. 15 meeting, commissioners saw site plans to bring a Speedway gas station and convenience store to the northeast corner of the intersection of Mound and 13 Mile roads, the current site of The Gazebo Banquet Center.
Cecil St. Pierre, an attorney representing the project’s proposers, said the owner of the banquet center, Michael Weigand, is planning to retire.
“This isn’t just about Speedway, it’s about Mike Weigand and the Gazebo that he’s done for 51 years, in order for him to try to make a retirement for himself,” he said.
During the discussion, St. Pierre said commissioners couldn’t deny the request just based on the number of gas stations already existing in the city.
“I know there’s been some complaints about this being here … but the number of gas stations is not something in which you can deny this site plan. That’s just not in the ordinance, or is a valid reason,” he said. “Just like if there’s four car washes next to each other and they’re all in a (C-3 zone), they can go in.”
Before the Planning Commission voted, four residents spoke against the project during the public comment portion of the discussion. Weigand also took the opportunity to defend his decision.
“It’s a tough time out there for businesses, and this is a good opportunity for me to go into retirement and do what I need to do for my family,” he said.
Ultimately, the Planning Commission voted to postpone the discussion until its Jan. 12 meeting.
“I’d like to make a motion that we postpone until we can go through this, the traffic study and everything else, with a fine-toothed comb,” said Planning Commissioner Andrey Duzyj. “I heard what people were saying, and I appreciate Mr. Weigand being here, but I’m really not a big fan of this development. I don’t think it fits.”
How does Warren compare to other cities?
Following the Planning Commission’s discussion, many residents took to social media to complain about the number of gas stations in the city.
On Dec. 10, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development published a list of all licensed retail motor fuel establishments across the state. The list shows 345 gas stations in Macomb County, with Warren having 75 of those, or about 21% of all gas stations in the county.
Warren has the most gas stations per city, according to the list.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Warren’s projected population for 2024 was 137,686. That translates to 5.45 gas stations per 10,000 residents. By land area, Warren spans 34.4 square miles, giving the city 2.18 gas stations per square mile.
Clinton Township has the second-highest total number of gas stations, with 36. Census data projects the township’s 2024 population at 101,359 and its geographic size at 28.03 square miles. Based on those figures, Clinton Township has 3.55 gas stations per 10,000 residents and 1.28 per square mile.
Roseville has 33 gas stations within 9.86 square miles and a population of about 48,000. That amounts to 6.88 gas stations per 10,000 residents, or 3.35 per square mile.
Eastpointe, which covers 5.4 square miles and has a population of about 34,000, has 17 gas stations, according to city Economic Development Manager Ian McCain. That gives Eastpointe five gas stations per 10,000 residents and 3.15 per square mile.
Nearby Sterling Heights has 31 gas stations, according to City Planner Jake Parcell. Census projections show a 2024 population of 134,342 and a geographic size of 37 square miles. That results in 2.31 gas stations per 10,000 residents and 0.84 per square mile.
Overall, the data shows that despite having the highest raw number of gas stations, Warren has fewer gas stations per square mile than neighboring Eastpointe and Roseville. Warren also trails several communities in gas stations per 10,000 residents, including Roseville and Mount Clemens, which has 6.46 gas stations per 10,000 residents and 2.38 per square mile.
Tom Bommarito, Warren’s director of community, economic and downtown development, said traffic through the city — in particular, on the major roads such as Mound Road and Gratiot Avenue — is a driving factor in the number of gas stations in the city.
“Part of it is just a market-driven thing that we have. The Van Dyke corridor, Mound corridor, is heavily traveled,” he said. “It’s 40 (thousand), 50,000 cars a day. That’s a lot of traffic. People want to go where there’s density.”
Another draw to the city is the influx of people who come to Warren from surrounding communities during the day for work, Bommarito said.
He added that he hasn’t seen a large increase in the number of gas stations in the city over the last few years.
“To me, it’s been flatlined. Some have closed in different areas, and it might be empty for several years, and they piece together the property next to it and build one of these bigger stations,” he said. “So you get a few that close and a few that open.”
In December, Roseville voted to implement a 180-day moratorium against car washes and gas stations. As the city continues to update ordinances to match the master plan, Bommarito said Warren might do the same.
“I think as they’re doing that, they’re going to be visiting a lot of those automotive supply, gas stations, parts stores, repair shops. The old mayor had a moratorium on used car lots for his whole term basically, so I think that council and the administration will be revisiting that,” he said.
