Indio council wants more information before deciding on gas station moratorium 

Indio City Council members directed staff on Wednesday to return with options for addressing gas station development in the city, including a potential moratorium, following months of debate over whether the city has reached saturation with 31 existing or proposed stations.

The council discussion came after the Planning Commission recommended a moratorium on new gas stations in September, citing concerns about over-concentration in specific neighborhoods and environmental justice issues in disadvantaged communities.

Community Development Director Brian Halvorson told the council that Indio currently has 30 gas stations, with one additional application submitted on Tuesday. The city’s Planning Commission had recommended the moratorium after reviewing gas station policies at the City Council’s direction following the April approval of a controversial Maverik gas station project.

Jackie Lopez, a longtime resident and former planning commissioner, urged the council to support a moratorium during public comment. She noted that the city’s staff report failed to address environmental justice concerns adequately.

“The staff report mentions CalEnviroScreen only once, just to say five stations fall in disadvantaged [census] tracts,” Lopez said. “There’s no map, no health analysis, no understanding of human impacts. These are the most vulnerable neighborhoods, and deserve more than a single sentence.”

Lopez broke down gas station distribution by council district, noting that District 2, represented by Councilmember Waymond Fermon, has the most gas stations with eight. She said districts with predominantly Latino populations and families have different vulnerabilities to pollution and traffic exposure.

Councilmember Oscar Ortiz  expressed support for pausing new applications while the city develops clearer standards for where gas stations should be located.

“We do have places that are saturated,” Ortiz said. “I can drive about two blocks in four different directions and get to a gas station – I don’t need anymore in my neighborhood. Is it convenient? Yes, it is. But are we missing out on other opportunities? I think we are.”

Councilmember Benjamin Guitron likened the gas stations to other types of businesses, “We didn’t know what was gonna happen with drug stores, now we have four vacant drug stores and we overdid it. We have thrift shops in downtown and we overdid it.”

Mayor Glenn Miller reminded councilmembers of a similar conversation in 2023 related to mini-storage facilities that resulted in a moratorium due to oversaturation. He said the city still allowed the few facilities in the pipeline who had already submitted paperwork to go through.

Halvorson outlined several options beyond a moratorium, including amending the city code for increased landscaping and architectural standards, implementing land use buffers or spacing requirements similar to some valley cities, or maintaining the current conditional use permit process.

Councilmembers directing staff to return with information on options, including a moratorium that could be considered at the Dec. 3 meeting. 

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