Huck’s is abandoning plans to construct a gas station adjacent to Lotus, Paducah’s sexual violence resource center.
The announcement comes after a community outcry against the project. A petition circulated by Lotus garnered more than 1,400 signatures in opposition to the construction. WKMS previously reported Lotus Executive Director Lori Brown identified light pollution, increased traffic and safety concerns as primary reasons for the opposition.
Huck’s parent company Martin and Bayley released a letter Wednesday saying they attempted to address the concerns of Lotus leaders before ultimately deciding to scrap the project, as reported by WPSD-TV.
“There has been an overwhelming campaign against our application to develop a Huck's Market on this site. Martin & Bayley has agreed to all noted concerns, such as the removal of separate diesel islands, lighting restrictions, and adding property boundary barriers. This proposed location was never intended as a truck-stop for a large semi-truck fueling facility,” wrote Martin and Bayley Vice President of Real Estate Troy Deitz and Regional Director Greg Stewart.
Deitz and Stewart argued the gas station was meant to “offer this neighborhood the facility it deserves” by creating forty jobs and building an aesthetically pleasing site. Supporters of the Lotus petition disagreed.
The formal mechanism for beginning construction is an application for conditional use of the property filed with the city’s planning commission and board of adjustments. Martin and Bayley said they are withdrawing that application.
