Comments on Oakland Streets: Running on Empty

Lots of good material here, hope to see you come b...

2010-01-11T14:30:42.384-08:00

Lots of good material here, hope to see you come back someday Crimson.

Ken

Telegraph and Dwight would be a great area for som...

2009-07-23T12:35:25.783-07:00

Telegraph and Dwight would be a great area for some new mixed use development.

Unfortunately I never photographed the vacated gas...

2009-07-17T12:16:25.544-07:00

Unfortunately I never photographed the vacated gas stations in Berkeley and now am in NY. The most interesting one is at Telegraph = Dwight; there is a proposal to redevelop the lot as mixed-use retail and apartments.

- localecology.org

Abandoned car lots at the present moment are a muc...

2009-06-01T18:16:07.596-07:00

Abandoned car lots at the present moment are a much bigger problem for most cities than gas stations. In San Lorenzo there are two adjacent on Mission Street. Recently there has been some discussion about what to do with them. Employment centers? Parks, playgrounds or green space? Worth thinking about, because there will be more.

Georgia, you should totally do a Berkeley edition ...

2009-06-01T09:57:26.181-07:00

Georgia, you should totally do a Berkeley edition of this phenomenon. My research was not exactly extensive.

You beat me to this topic. Was hoping to write an...

2009-05-29T05:44:29.202-07:00

You beat me to this topic. Was hoping to write an entry about the closing of several stations in Berkeley. Great observations as usual.

As to your question about remediation, the process is probably fairly standardized - and thus less expensive - for "normal" gas stations than say twenty years ago. The City of Emeryville has a model brownfield remediation program and might provide

Got an email from my mom: "Yes, there are ugly sta...

2009-05-26T11:32:36.243-07:00

Got an email from my mom: "Yes, there are ugly stations, and duplications, but on the other hand......we need to get gas! A necessary evil that we don't want to have to drive miles to get. And remember when I ran out of gas on the way to the movie and 2 gas stations were closed? And it took 2 AAA trucks to get us going?? What a nightmare that was!"

Thanks, mom.

Because it

Quite the hot topic. Like a lot of things, it's a ...

2009-05-25T09:51:28.957-07:00

Quite the hot topic. Like a lot of things, it's a question of balance. Cars and trucks aren't going away any time soon, and at best gas stations would be replaced with electric charging stations or battery swapping stations or Mr. Fusion refueling stations or whatever we power vehicles with. And competition does help keep prices down (though demand and speculation have a lot to do with price

A gas station is a business that pays taxes. Oakla...

2009-05-25T06:39:01.780-07:00

A gas station is a business that pays taxes. Oakland suffers from far too few of them. Our city discourages businesses from even desiring to do business here. We barely have enough money to provide crucial services. I don't understand what's so terrible about an attractive well-run station. Cars aren't going away any time soon. Stations compete with one-another. Fewer stations means higher prices

Russell, 1) I agree that the Shell station is more...

2009-05-24T06:29:45.927-07:00

Russell,
1) I agree that the Shell station is more attractive than some other gas stations, but come on. It's still a gas station.

2) If I'm not mistaken, customers at most gas stations can enter and exit from both directions. At any rate, I don't know how I ended up in the position of defending the Arco gas station. You're right, it's ugly. Worst in the country? I wouldn't

The Shell station was recently remodeled with the ...

2009-05-23T15:40:04.886-07:00

The Shell station was recently remodeled with the companies latest design. A mild Googie with the company's colors front and center. It's a great-looking station. I lived a block away from it for years until recently. The AM/PM down the block is one of the worst stations in the country. Customers vie for spots from 2 directions. Fewer stations just means gas prices go higher which impacts poorer

Chris, dammit, you keep murdering me on my own shi...

2009-05-22T12:36:13.146-07:00

Chris, dammit, you keep murdering me on my own shit. That's a good point, the externalities of gas stations were not factored in when so many were built. Apparently there is some federal money for gas station cleanup. I wonder if that's something Oakland could take advantage of.

Pedestrianist, I am indeed near a

These same stations destroy sidewalk continuity th...

2009-05-22T11:52:18.622-07:00

These same stations destroy sidewalk continuity through their often-enormous curb cuts that blur the line between pedestrian space and vehicle space. That combined with the higher amount of exhuast in the air and engine runoff on the ground make them hurldes to successful neighborhood vibrancy.

Another thing that these shuttered gas stations are a strong example of: the accumulation

"Everybody in my neighborhood goes to the Arco sta...

2009-05-21T10:21:59.272-07:00

"Everybody in my neighborhood goes to the Arco station on Park Blvd, not the half-dozen other stations nearby."

Are you near a freeway (or a 'street' that is pretty much a freeway)? If so your neighborhood is just a pit stop for those passing through. Wouldn't it be great if they stayed a while at a store or cafe in a building that replaced one of those gas stations?

Definitely noticed the trend as well. Especially s...

2009-05-20T16:41:16.008-07:00

Definitely noticed the trend as well. Especially since the independent gas station at the end of my block @ 4th Ave. & 12th went out of business. After 6 months or so of closure the property is now totally blighted. Its covered in litter, the pumps have been removed, a gutted van is the centerpiece. Yet, in a way this is an improvement over when the gas station was in operation and kids dealt

How timely: "If one city is 10 times as populous...

2009-05-20T15:21:38.733-07:00

How timely:

"If one city is 10 times as populous as another one, does it need 10 times as many gas stations? No. Bigger cities have more gas stations than smaller ones (of course), but not nearly in direct proportion to their size. The number of gas stations grows only in proportion to the 0.77 power of population. The crucial thing is that 0.77 is less than 1. This implies that the

That's great, Becks. Of course College is another...

2009-05-20T14:26:30.882-07:00

That's great, Becks. Of course College is another pedestrian-friendly street that doesn't really need gas stations.

Great post, and I agree that there are some gas st...

2009-05-20T13:37:58.688-07:00

Great post, and I agree that there are some gas stations in Oakland that need to go. Luckily, we'll soon be rid of one of the gas stations on Claremont and College, once Safeway expands.

Peter, I understand that at one point there was a ...

2009-05-20T13:36:52.461-07:00

Peter, I understand that at one point there was a market demand for these stations that have closed. I'm puzzled that you're so moved to defend gas stations, though.

Anyone know what happened to the 76 station at the...

2009-05-20T11:35:00.077-07:00

Anyone know what happened to the 76 station at the corner of Broadway and Broadway Terrace? It's been closed for >1yr now. Are the cleanup costs preventing any other use of the land?

Hey, those gas stations were BUILT because the mar...

2009-05-20T11:33:34.519-07:00

Hey, those gas stations were BUILT because the market dictated! Some have been there for much longer than other stores and things in the neighborhoods! All supplied important blue collar jobs in a blue collar town. If no other operator steps up to open them, eventually someone will move in... but face astronomical costs in cleaning the site of hazardous chemicals (especially if the station has

Thanks for the info. (The internets worked!) Tha...

2009-05-20T10:08:50.487-07:00

Thanks for the info. (The internets worked!) That being the case, I wonder what the options are for reuse. Or are we just stuck with the current number of gas stations in perpetuity?

Clean up is pretty substantial. A few years ago a ...

2009-05-20T09:24:24.972-07:00

Clean up is pretty substantial. A few years ago a bunch of stations had to get their tanks upgraded, and that change-over put more than a few out of business. It's not surprising that it's an expensive proposition, especially if they had an actual garage (remember when they