Shell gas station in Springfield may be demolished, add convenience store

A Shell gas station in Springfield (5533 Backlick Road) may be demolished to make room for a large new convenience store with more fueling stations.

According to the proposal’s statement of justification written by David Gill, Petroleum Marketing Group is looking to replace the existing 1,820 square foot Shell service station building with “a new 3,982.5 square foot convenience store, new fuel islands and canopy and underground storage tanks spread across a larger site.”

Seeking a special exception from Fairfax County, the East Coast fuel distributor hopes to incorporate “a number of Site [sic]…and architectural improvements” to the over 50-year-old fueling area.

The proposal suggests doubling the amount of available fuel pumps from four to eight.

Petroleum Marketing Group projects the increase in fuel pump availability, along with the convenience store conversion, will increase traffic by over 2,000 daily visits, especially with the fuel pumps and convenience store offering 24-hour service all seven days of the week.

To meet this increased customer presence and local zoning ordinances, the application further advises increasing the amount of available parking spaces from 19 to 27, with “an accessible parking space, as well as a space for potential future EV charging.”

The application additionally outlines a variety of sidewalk changes to comply with updated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements that are currently not being met. If approved, Petroleum Marketing Group would fill a gap in the sidewalk along Industrial Road on the east side of the property, widen the entire sidewalk by 1 to 2 feet and add ADA-compliant curb ramps.

The fuel distributor also plans to increase the size of the landscape strip between the sidewalk and parking lot, while eliminating the landscaping between the roadway curb and sidewalk. Existing grass would be replaced with new greenery, the proposal says.

To further improve “safety, access, and comfort level” not only for pedestrians and bicyclists but also drivers, the proposal envisions consolidating the two existing curb cuts on Backlick Road into one narrower curb cut “located further north, away from the intersection.” The existing curb cut on Industrial Road would be “shifted further east, away from the intersection and narrowed.”

Petroleum Marketing Group overall intends to better meet customer preferences and “[serve] the community” with this projected redevelopment, according to the application.

“This proposal is a unique opportunity to allow a long-standing business to adapt to changing market conditions in order to continue serving the surrounding community,” Gill writes. “The proposal will provide a convenience store use that will serve the needs of motorists, while improving the traffic operations and safety of the site.”

The application was submitted to the county on June 20 but hasn’t been officially accepted for review yet.

Photo via Google Maps