Former Speedway gas station to be demolished
A former Speedway that has sat vacant for years at the corner of Hewitt Road and West Michigan Avenue will soon be demolished.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Speedway owned the station on the northwest corner and did not have to purchase it.
A long vacant gas station at Hewitt Road and Michigan Avenue will soon come down.
The gas station, on the intersection's northeast corner, was last operated by Speedway SuperAmerica, but in 2008 the company rebuilt the neighboring station it owns on the northwest corner.
The lot holding the Speedway on the northwest corner is much larger and the company was able to build a bigger convenience store with the pumps.
The building on the northeast corner was then boarded and put on the market, but it has failed to sell.
Ypsilanti Township Building Director Ron Fulton said part of the issue with selling the lot is that it’s too small to hold a gas station with a large convenience store, which provides extra profits.
The lot is also too small for a fast food restaurant with a drive-through window.
Fulton said there has been some interest from prospective buyers throughout the past several years and there has been discussion of adjoining adjacent lots. But the property is bordered to the east by an apartment complex and to the north by a computer repair shop.
Furthermore, Speedway placed a deed restriction preventing any competing companies from opening a gas station there, though those under the Speedway umbrella can open a station.
“They have been trying to market it to no avail,” Fulton said.
In early July, township officials notified Speedway SuperAmerica that the property was violating an ordinance that allows buildings to sit vacant for a maximum of 30 days. Fulton said the company immediately responded, has begun asbestos cleanup and is seeking demolition bids.
“It’s another example of enforcement with a cooperative owner who is taking proactive action at no cost to the township, which is the way we like it,” said Mike Radzik, director of the office of community standards.
Speedway bought the one-acre lot in 1999 for $931,000. It has an assessed value of $152,000.
There are two other Speedways locations nearby - one on East Michigan Avenue near Harris Road and the other at the intersection of Carpenter and Packard Roads. Another is at the intersection of Ellsworth and South State.
Comments
Therese
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
Ron Fulton is doing an excellent job in Ypsilanti Township. We are seeing improvement on a continuous basis. I will be happy to see that site cleared. It is an eyesore.
JRW
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 5:52 p.m.
Furthermore, Speedway placed a deed restriction preventing any competing companies from opening a gas station there, though those under the Speedway umbrella can open a station. "They have been trying to market it to no avail," Fulton said. ********** This is wrong on so many levels. So, because this is legal, the city has to deal with an eyesore and a boarded up building for years.
JRW
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 5:48 p.m.
"...and the company was able to building a bigger convenience store with the pumps." Huh? They number of typos on this site is astonishing.
Cindy Heflin
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 5:51 p.m.
That's been corrected.
jns131
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 5:40 p.m.
On that block is houses behind it. The whole block could be sold out and utilized for commercial property but I don't think it will since there is a school to the north of it. Love to see what will go in there if the homeowners don't sell out. For the right price? I would.
Thinking over here
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 4:07 p.m.
IDEA: Bill's Hotdog Stand West!!!
Eduard Copely
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 8:09 p.m.
Streetwalker Central?
jns131
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 5:41 p.m.
Blimpy could use that property? Give Wendy's a challenge?
MeGrimlock
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 3:23 p.m.
oh my god first blimpy burger and now THIS
Eduard Copely
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 2:16 p.m.
If I'm not mistaken there is a cat colony behind the station that is monitored and cared for by numerous volunteers and clinics. The colony is part of the "spay and neuter release program" for feral and partially feral cats. It is imperative that the cats are not harmed and that arrangements are made to ensure safe transfer of the colony to another location and that all organizations and volunteers be informed.
Eduard Copely
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 8:09 p.m.
thehawk, you do it.
thehawk
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 5:16 p.m.
Eduard - Please call the Humane Society of Huron Valley with your concerns. Publishing the whereabouts of a colony can lead to its destruction and the death of the cats.
dading dont delete me bro
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 4:58 p.m.
no
Daniel Piedra
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 1:47 p.m.
What a gripping front page story!
Kyle Mattson
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 3:47 p.m.
Hi Dan- We realize that not every story published on the site will be of interest to all readers, especially ones like this that have limited geographic connection, but it is informative for those who may live or work in that area. If you ever have any specific feedback on coverage feel free to send it over via email. Thanks!
dexterreader
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 1:11 p.m.
It is a very congested corner at all hours of the day, and trying to get out of the station can be difficult. However, even though I live in Dexter, I patronize the station a few times a month when I am in the Ypsi area because their gas prices are almost always 10-15 cents a gallon cheaper than the truck stop stations at the freeway in Dexter. Still can't figure out that logic!!!
stihl1
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 2:05 p.m.
Gas in Ypsi is always cheaper than Ann Arbor and points west. Last week in Ypsi gas was 30 cents cheaper than Ann Arbor. Tell me how that works.
Crono
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 1:21 p.m.
Gas stations near freeways are almost ALWAYS more expensive than gas stations located further away. In this gas station's case, Speedway tends to be known for having cheaper gas prices than other brands, in general.
LaMusica
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 12:42 p.m.
The existing Speedway is much bigger, but traffic in the parking lot is always such a bear.
SonnyDog09
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 5:41 p.m.
I have been in the left turn lane on Michigan ave to make the left turn at the traffic light, and have been stuck behind some knucklehead trying to make a left turn across the solid double yellow lines and two lanes of traffic in to the corner gas station. That is one of the few instances that will cause me to yell at another vehicle.
YpsiLivin
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 5:56 p.m.
SonnyDog09, Left turns are permitted both in and out of that gas station on both Hewitt and Michigan Aves. Both Hewitt and Michigan have left turn lanes at the station, so I'm not sure why you have a problem with left turns there, assuming the traffic volumes permit them. I would agree, it's not the smoothest entrance/egress, but people seem to manage it without too much difficulty. I think the best approach for corner businesses is to have a single entrance/egress located away from the corner for all businesses in the vicinity, which then connects to private drives for each business. If this were the case with this Speedway, the bank and the gas station would share an entrance/exit, but then each business would have its own driveway off the main entrance. That way, you have only one curb cut (and one opportunity for turning traffic) for multiple businesses.
SonnyDog09
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.
Not to mention, the knuckleheads that insist on making left turns in to and out of the gas station parking lot across two or three lanes of traffic. Those people annoy me.
Rodney Nanney
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 12:32 p.m.
This may seem like journalistic nitpicking, but the article starts off with several big errors related to the history of this property: "The gas station, on the intersection's northeast corner, was last operated by Speedway SuperAmerica,...." The station to be demolished actually last operated as a "Rich" brand gas station (owned by Speedway's parent company). The site had been operated as a "Total" gas station for many years. In 1999, it came to be owned by Speedway as part of the company's purchase of the assets of Total's parent company. "...but in 2008 the company bought the neighboring station on the northwest corner and renovated it." The recently renovated Speedway gas station on that corner has been a Speedway for many years. The company may have purchased land in 2008 to expand the site, but it owned and operated a Speedway station there long before that. The lot holding the Speedway on the northwest corner is much larger and the company was able to building a bigger convenience store with the pumps. "After moving to the other side of the street, the building on the northeast corner was boarded and put on the market, but it has failed to sell." The "Speedway" branded station has never moved from the corner where it currently operates. This is not rocket science stuff. Just a few minutes of research would have turned up these details. If they are important enough to put at the top of the story, surely they are important enough to get right?
Tom Perkins
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 8:40 p.m.
Rodney, You aren't nitpicking at all and I appreciate your comments. You are correct that the Speedway on the northwest corner has been a Speedway for a long time. In 2008 the company tore down their existing building and built a larger one. I spoke with several township officials for the story and was under the impression that Speedway bought the property from another company and built a larger store. Apparently there was a misunderstanding, so, again, I appreciate your correction and the story has been changed. The property on the northeast corner has been owned by Speedway since 1999. It has operated as several other stations, but it was last a Speedway and has always been owned by them, which is why I say that it is a former Speedway station. @Honest Abe You are a regular commenter and we appreciate your readership and participation!
Basic Bob
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 12:39 p.m.
the speedway on the northwest corner temporarily moved into this station while the new convenience store was built farther back on the lot. once the speedway reopened, the station on the northeast corner was permanently closed.
hawkhulk
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 12:13 p.m.
There is an old Marathon state diagonally across the street on the southeast corner of Packard and Carpenter from that Speedway. What will they do with that?
LaMusica
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 6 p.m.
YpsiYapper, yes those islands have made things worse! I know they put no turn on left signs up, but I've been going east on Packard numerous times, and have had to wait for some idiot still turning left out of that Speedway, blocking all other traffic.
YpsiLivin
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 5:43 p.m.
@YpsiYapper, I was hoping that they would cut an additional entrance into the Speedway from the parking lot of the shopping center, but they haven't. I can still use the station if I'm on my way home from Ann Arbor, (which is how I normally access it anyway), but I also haven't visited the station all summer. I wouldn't be surprised to see the businesses at this intersection go completely dead from these "improvements." If they really wanted to make improvements at that intersection, a good resurfacing would have helped. (I'm surprised no one insisted on a roundabout there.) The pavement would also benefit from some kind of alternate egress plan for the platoon of cement trucks that regularly travels across it. (Same kind of damage can be seen at Carpenter and Ellsworth.)
YpsiYapper
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 4:36 p.m.
@YpsiLivin: The recent addition of those islands at Carpenter and Packard completely stopped me from visiting Speedway unless I am traveling east on Packard. I don't use carpenter road southbound due to the condition of the road and the delays at Carpenter and Washtenaw. I used to stop there every morning for breakfast, gas, smokes or whatever. It's now impossible to get out of there and continue on to work or even when I am out just running errands or just passing by. I can't help but wonder how these "improvements" have affected the bottom line for all businesses involved with that intersection. If I were even considering let's say opening up the old Marathon Station or whatever it was I would have dropped the whole thought knowing the "improvements" were about to be done. I bet the Vacuum Cleaner store is not happy. I am sure these improvements have had an immediate negative impact on their drive by business.
YpsiLivin
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 1:02 p.m.
The building is for sale (has been for about three-four years?) but was reopened briefly in the not-too-distant past. A bank is somehow involved in the sale. I thought I remember it being a foreclosure at one point, but maybe not. I remember reading about a redevelopment plan for that corner that involved a completely different retail use, but that must not have worked out. (The lot seems a little small for anything other than a gas station.) The new "improvements" at that corner require some additional logistics that make visiting any of those businesses difficult, anyway. Not sure why the tanks and pumps haven't been removed yet, but that lot is in Pittsfield Twp so enforcement would be up to them.
LaMusica
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 12:44 p.m.
I used to live over there until recently and thought they were doing work on that building. I saw construction vehicles and people there, but never found out what was going on. I'm curious about it, too!
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 11:29 a.m.
I often come off of i-94 and turn on to Hewitt right in front of that place and confess I never gave it any thought.
Ann English
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 11:56 a.m.
Before Wendy's and Tim Horton's were built nearby on Michigan Avenue, there was a big business sign, RICH, on that gas station; I never thought the station was a Speedway station.
dading dont delete me bro
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 10:57 a.m.
"...is bordered to the east by an apartment complex..." ? all i see is houses on that side... " There are two other Speedways locations nearby - one on East Michigan Avenue near Harris Road and the other at the intersection of Carpenter and Packard Roads. Another is at the intersection of Ellsworth and South State." i see close is a relative term here...those are across tow from each other.
dconkey
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 10:43 a.m.
Is part of the demolition removal of the old fuel tanks?
YpsiLivin
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 12:01 p.m.
Under state law, the underground storage tanks and pumps have to be removed almost immediately after the station closes permanently. That work was done years ago. It's just an abandoned building at this point. I'm surprised that the story didn't mention that the station was operated as a Rich station (another Speedway brand) for awhile before it closed, though.
murphthesurf
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 10:36 a.m.
what ! paid dam near a million $ but it's assessed at only $150k ? did u mean $1.52 million?
Basic Bob
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 10:42 a.m.
They bought a real working gas station. Now it is abandoned, so it is worth much less.