The Willow Glen Resident

Council Watch

Local gas station at Lincoln and Willow may get wrecked

Owner has not yet submitted plans for the station's replacement

By Cecily Barnes

The busy corner of Lincoln Avenue and Willow Street may have a different look soon. On March 12, Gerry Focos, the owner of the local gas station Willow Glen Automotive at 1096 Lincoln Ave., filed for a demolition permit with the city of San Jose.

Before the Planning Department will grant Focos a demolition permit, the department staff needs to know for certain what he plans to build in place of the destroyed gas station, said city planner Jason Burton.

"We've sent out a 30-day letter asking for some architectural plans for the replacement of this site," Burton said. "We're not going to approve something for demolition without knowing what's going to go in. We have demanded to see the full set of plans for what's actually going to replace it; that's our normal procedure." Focos could not be reached for comment.

According to Burton, plans for the corner of Lincoln and Willow have passed through the Planning Department before, and each time have been denied. The request has always been for a carwash, Burton said.

"Staff has said that site is just too small," Burton said. "It's always been too small, it's still too small and it will probably always be too small."

Although Focos has not officially submitted new plans for what he hopes to put in Willow Glen Automotive's place, he said in an informal conversation with Burton that he hoped to put in a Texaco station, Burton said.

"He said he just wanted to upgrade the whole system and get a Texaco franchise for that corner," Burton said. "However, there's nothing official on file at the city."

Area residents and the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association seem indifferent to the prospect of one gas station replacing another.

"I don't see any effect at all," said WGBPA manager Demetri Rizos. "As long as they work with the community when they remodel the facility, I don't see any negative impact. It's a service that's needed for the residents and the businesses."

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