In an effort to combat climate change, Colorado City is considering a resolution that would allow the city to ban the building of new gas stations and automobile service stations.
The ordinance before the City Council would cap the number of gas stations in Louisville, Colorado, to six, with a seventh only permitted if it’s part of a retail center.
Maxine Most, a member of the City Council, insisted the City Council had an “obligation” to take every available step to address climate change, which she described as “directly impacting” constituents from Louisville.
Automobile service stations, which the ordinance is also looking to ban, described these stations as businesses that “motor fuels and in [supply] goods and service.” required to operate and maintain “automotive vehicles.”
Louisville has 21,000 residents and has five gas stations, with a sixth one recently approved for construction.
If the new ordinance is passed, new gas stations and services stations would need to be 1,000 feet from any existing stations, with the only exception being if the station is part of a larger retail center.
Earlier in the month, the Louisville Sustainability Advisory Board wanted more stringent restrictions; the board recommended that the ordinance reduce the number of gas stations from six to five and eliminate the exception for a large retail center.
The ordinance document states that municipalities have, with increasing frequency, relied on limiting gas stations to address “health and environmental concerns,” using California municipalities as an example, pointing to Petaluma, Santa Rosa in Sonoma County.
