Members of the city of Ocoee staff hosted a community meeting Thursday, July 10, at the Lakeshore Center to solicit feedback and listen to concerns from residents regarding a proposed 7-Eleven gas station and convenience store development at the intersection of Clarke Road and Ocoee Vista Parkway.
Residents of the area raised a variety of concerns during the meeting predominantly focused on safety, traffic, environmental considerations and a general belief that another gas station is not necessary in this neighborhood.
“I’m not (going to) belabor the point, especially because the developer is going to just build what they want to build,” said Joe Fana, a resident of a neighborhood surrounding the proposed gas station for 17 years. “But from the city’s point of view, I don’t think this is a good idea. … What happens is we’re seeing a lot of gas stations that aren’t aging well. And we could debate whether this could increase crime and those types of things, but it’s definitely a concern…