If you’ve noticed an excessive number of gas stations in the Greater Houston area, especially crowding residential areas, you’re not alone. City officials are now considering new rules to guide where future fuel stations can be built.
According to a presentation shared Wednesday by the City of Houston’s Economic Development Council Committee, plans are being reviewed to create a new ordinance guiding where new retail fuel stations can be built.
What the city’s review found
Of 188 fuel station applications filed in Houston’s Harris County portion over the past four years, 95 percent were on major thoroughfares, 52 percent had homes within 50 to 100 feet of the site and more than 27 percent were on roads that were 80 feet wide or less—or even smaller streets.
The distinction matters because the proposed ordinance would give closer scrutiny to stations proposed on narrower roads, where the city says residential development can be more directly affected…