Want to see a real bad example of bad urban planning when it comes to gas stations?

Then take a drive down Moffat Boulevard to where it intersects with Cowell Avenue.

There you will find an example of Manteca planning from the mid-1990s.

It’s a fueling station style setup sans convenience store and even restrooms.

The station went in after the dawn of the “card lock” era when you could pump and pay for your gas without interacting with an attendant.

It made it possible to buy gas or diesel even when a station is “closed.”

It is next door and across the street from homes built in the late 1950s.

The entire fueling station property is concrete.

There is no landscaping.

Sidewalks run seamlessly into the station’s concrete.

The restroom is a porta-potty.

The fencing separating it from another industrial parcel is chain-link with plastic slats.

There are no pump canopies.

Traffic movements in and out of the fueling station see big truck often coming perilously close to parked cars in front of a home across the street.

The city, in its infinite wisdom at the time, did not make the driveways wide enough, specifically near the alley on Cowell Street, to adequately accommodate big truck movements.

The result was the breaking down of the traditional vertical curb and crushing of the sidewalk.

About five years ago the city repairs the mess.

But instead of doing so with the curb cut style where the sidewalk drops at an angle to the gutter, the city simply replaced what was there. The wearing down and destruction of the replacement curb is well under way by trucks.

No one at the city pushed back in the mid-1990s for anything that would make the fueling station even semi-blend in with nearby homes or to mitigate any issues when it comes to quality of life.

The response from the city at the time was all that had to be done was what rules on the books said had to be done, which was the bare minimum.

The result is what you see today.

Fast forward to Tuesday.

Those upset, incensed, concerned, outraged, disappointed, or whatever words they chose to describe themselves when it comes to the city processing plans for a gas station at Pillsbury Road and Woodward Avenue effectively took out the biggest advocate they had in making sure the best possible outcome would happen.

Empty accusations prompted Mayor Gary Singh to recuse himself from having to anything at all to do with the project such as pushing for concessions or voting one way or another on its approval if it  reaches the council level on an appeal from a Manteca Planning Commission decision.

The smoking gun some of his detractors contend they found was an alleged conflict is the mother-of-all-duds.

It hinges on his father and partners having bought the land in 2017, where the AM/PM station and convenience store is being proposed, and then reselling it in 2021.

No one in Singh’s family has had anything to do with the property for four years.

The mayor did himself a favor recusing himself so he can avoid having to deal with what would have become an endless barrage of attacks for conflicts that don’t exist and never have, regarding the property.

Singh’s track record as mayor when dealing with developers when it comes to looking out for  the best interests of the community is clear.

He will push and ask for things that lessen the impacts of developments in a bid to maximize the benefit for Manteca.

Singh is the driving force behind developers opening up their wallets for infrastructure upgrades and community amenities beyond the minimal requirement. It’s a major contrast to much of what has happened in terms of Manteca development in the past five decades.

Taking Singh out of the equation robs nearby neighbors of the project of their most effective advocate to make sure the gas station and balance of the commercial endeavor blends in as seamlessly as possible with nearby neighborhoods.

Also, property rights go both ways on this one.

Some are essentially accusing the city of devaluing their property if they allow the gas station and accompanying commercial to proceed.

One went as far as saying there is data that shows when a gas station is built near a home, it devalues the house be as much as 55 percent.

That is just blowing hot air, especially in Manteca.

The candidate for the gas-station-from-hell on Moffat has not collapsed nearby housing values.

The closest four homes on Yolo Street next to the Moffat fueling station were selling in the high $90,000s to the low $100,000s when it was built in the mid-1990s.

The most recent sale this year saw one of those four homes sell for $465,000.

It is comparable to other homes in the Powers Tract neighborhood where they are located as well as similar homes across Manteca.

If a gas station as ugly as the one on Moffat can’t sink nearby home values, it is extremely unlikely the proposed Woodward and Pillsbury gas station will do so.

What some of those opposed to the project are doing is basically advocating the city devalue the value of the commercially zoned property by demanding the land lay barren or be converted to zoning that will accommodate more single family homes.

Of course, they also don’t want to see high density residential uses that would allow apartments to be built.

They want the status quo.

As such, they are no different than those 25 years ago that didn’t want to see almond orchards along Pillsbury Road converted to houses.

None of this is meant to devalue the frustrations and concerns many have about a gas station being built near them.

The reality is the world needs to have a lot of things to work.

And that means there will be conflicts.

That is also true in urban planning and zoning.

Seven years ago, there were people south of the 120 Bypass openly slamming the city for not somehow convincing developers to build a gas station south of the freeway.

They didn’t like the hassle of heading north of the Bypass where they had to deal with traffic congestion to get gas.

The market, which is household spending habits, drives retail and even gas station development.

It isn’t the city.

The city designs the “game” board in terms of how development happens, making sure there is adequate zoning to accommodate the needs of a populace.

Cities are also charged with “refereeing” to make sure the game is played as the rules require.

That includes making decisions that are judgment calls.

Singh has an established track record of pursuing judgment calls that are designed for the best possible outcome within given parameters for the community of Manteca.

Sidelining Singh on the Pillsbury-Woodward gas stations is doing detractors of the project, or the city as a whole, no favors.

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com