Atwater approves building project off expressway

Plans for a gas station, hotel and several retail stores moved forward this week after a unanimous vote from the Atwater City Council.

With a 4-0 vote, the council approved plans for a project on 5.8 acres of land at Buhach Road and Green Sands Avenue. Mayor Pro Tem Larry Bergman was absent.

The land was annexed into the city and approved by the Local Agency Formation Commission about a year ago, according to city records.

The project is owned by Suneet Singal, a Sacramento-based real estate developer. It is made up of parcels that will include a 29,000-square-foot Chevron gas station, an 82-room Microtel Inn and handful of other buildings.

As part of the plans, the developer agreed to put up a 7-foot block wall on two sides of the development that border the land of other property owners, according to city records.

The developer also agreed to pay a one-time fee of $26,944, which is a mitigation payment for the three-story hotel. The fee was the result of the controversial purchase of a $890,048 firetruck last year, according to city records.

Critics of the purchase said the truck was too expensive and the money would have been better spent on hiring more police officers.

Supporters said the 109-foot ladder truck replaced aging equipment and will help Atwater grow by attracting multistory developments.

Singal told the council that the new development has the potential to employee 150 people. The plan is to build the gas station and hotel in the first phase, and later to add restaurants and other retail.

The project is near the $336 million Atwater-Merced Expressway, which will eventually connect from Bellevue Road over Highway 99 to Highway 140. The expressway will run to Highway 59 and UC Merced, and will widen a section of Highway 99 to six lanes.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Atwater approves building project off expressway."