Valero Hopes to Get Permits After Decade of Design

Operators of the Valero gas station just off the I-5 Freeway on Avenida De La Estrella want to demolish its existing store, offices and service station to build a new convenience store and car wash.

According to city staff reports, the company has been tweaking its project designs for the last 10 years to satisfy the business' own financial requirements and the city's planning requirements.

The new project will go before the San Clemente Planning Commission Wednesday seeking initial approvals, according to staff reports. The new building is planned for a height of 26 feet with a tower of 30 feet -- the maximum allowable according to city codes for the area.

The Valero operators also want permission to sell beer and wine, which they do not do from the existing small shop. The building's second floor would house office space for the business, according to city staffers.

The station operators want to replace their tall, freeway-facing pole sign, but staffers reccommended against allowing them to do that; the city has enacted multiple measures recently to remove sign clutter in town, including freeway-facing signs.

The San Clemente City Council has denied a service station on El Camino Real a similar sign permit during renovations, and even took steps to prevent the California Department of Transportation from installing an electric freeway traffic information sign in the south end of town.

If the planning commission approves Valero's plans, the project will still have to go before the San Clemente City Council for final approval.

The San Clemente Planning Commission meets Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the San Clemente Civic Center, 100 Ave. Presidio.