Citgo Told To Go Home

A people united will never be defeated.

I hope the nieghbors are listened to. There is no need for all stores to be open 24/7 7 days a week. A few places , yes, but I'm sure most can wait till the morning for their Doritos or-- horror-- make their own coffee at home for pennies!

If you run an establishment and it draws in negative activity and you dont do anything to prevent this activity from taking place, then youre being a bad neighbor.
Im sympathetic to night shift workers who need to get gas and a bite to eat or a coffee on their way to or from work, but to run a place like that you have to have a really well run, secure place with great security and an owner who makes it their top priority to run a tight ship.

They forgot to mention that once the sun goes down this is also a prostitution pick up location.

Wait, I was wrong, Leslie mentioned it

Maybe eventually this gas station location can become more affordable apartments. Same thing with the rundown convenient store location at Howard and Washington Avenue..

Something needs to done about all the bad activity that happens in the area, but building more housing at those spots and increasing the presence of police would definitely be a plus.

Thats actually a bad location for a Gas Station its to congested. With all the distractions there why dont owners who own these properties make and attempt to beautify it. Pay the people who hang out there on a daily basis a couple dollars to pick up trash,cut grass and to keep it clean.

This B S.I stand with the owner and I will tell you why.
A Kimberly Avenue gas station ran out of fuel while requesting extended hours of operationafter community members complained over the convenience stores contribution to neighborhood crime.

How dose his store contribute to neighborhood crime? Last I read the police are to deal with crime.

The Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously and without debate during its latest meeting to bar the Citgo and Sams Food Stores located at 14 Kimberly Ave. from staying open all night.

Dose any body know the History of Gas Station.?

Gas stations were own by auto repair shops.They would do oil changes and some auto repairs.That is how Gas stations made there money.Now fast forward.Now gas stations do not make there money off of gas due to the fact of
Thin profit margins.Case and point.Gas prices are set more by crude oil prices than by owners.That means at an average of $4.00 a gallon, their revenue per gallon is only $0.40. That 40 cents has to cover all their costs and profit. These overhead costs include labor, maintaining the facilities (including keeping the bathrooms perfect for you), paying for utilities, expensive insurance, credit card fees, and so forth. In the end, a gas station usually makes about 2-3 cents per gallon in profit, and some intentionally lose money just to draw in customers. So Gas stations make most of their money inside the store.And this is why most of them are open 24/7.

City Plan Commission Chair and Hill activist Leslie Radcliffe agreed, citing loitering, drug sales, prostitution, and alcohol solicitation taking place outside the convenience stop. Alders Kampton Singh and Carmen Rodriguez echoed those points.
But last I looked the owner pays taxes.So his taxes go to pay for police services.The police are paid to take care of the above.Not this store owner.
Part One.

Part Two

I have a lot of concerns. A lot of concerns, Sgt. Jasmine Sanders said. At least 70 calls have been made to the New Haven Police Department since January of this year, with documented drug sales, stabbings, shootings and numerous quality of life issues stemming from activity taking place on the property over recent years. Sanders also said that the establishment has been found guilty in the past of operating illegally past the permitted time of 10 p.m., after which many of the above issues have been reported.
My question is how many Arrest have you made?Again it is the police who must take care of crime.Not this store owner.

CityYankee2 & ThreeFifths. You both are right on. Where are the police & what have these community board members/zoning board members/alders done to alleviate and/or solve the issues @ this location.

No to mention they sell gas to the packs of unregistered dirt bikes and Atvs who then terrorize the city.

@ Threefifths - The police mission is 'to serve and protect', they are responders. They respond to calls, assist in clearing out the negative activity, and then community can take measures to fill the void with something positive. They don't MAKE crime go away, they address it. The store contributes to crime on the store exterior premise and perimeter because the proprietor doesn't address loitering & allows drug dealers to park on the premise. They contribute by not calling the police to address the criminal activity that takes place in their view and with their knowledge on their property. They are complicit.

@ City Yankee - You say New Haven wanted to defund and reduce the staffing of the police. It was a want by a small group of people who made a lot of noise. Some weren't even city residents. They wanted dismantling but offered no idea of how to do it. This was not a 'WANT' of the city residents. Many residents who participated in protests did not want police defunded or even the presence reduced. WE wanted the police brutality and violence to end. But the Hill residents expressed loudly at every opportunity that we NEED police presence and increased police presence in the Hill. This ain't that.

@NHCitizen20years - What has been done? Sgt Sanders reported what the police respond to and that 'she would have to allocate at least two police officers seven days a week on overtime for multiple shifts per day in attempt to regulate the criminal activity'. She doesn't have the resources for more. The community board members along with the ALDERS attended and spoke at this BZA meeting to oppose the application for 24-7 operation. The BZA held a public hearing to hear what the community had to say about the application, they listened to our concerns, and DENIED IT! We DID what was needed!

Maybe you should actually attend a meeting and read reports to know first-hand what people say instead of 'armchair quarterbacking'. We LIVE here. Welcome to the real world!

@ Threefiths - Public Works does not come in your house to put a homeowner/resident's trash in the trash can. Nor do they take it to the curb to be picked up. When there is trash on a homeowner/resident's premises, Public Works does send its workers out to clean up their yards. Public Works does pick up the trash if it is brought to the curb by the homeowner/resident IF it is brought to the curb by the homeowner/resident. And they do street sweeping on a schedule basis but they don't clear the trash from your curb strip. Homeowner/residents KNOW they have some responsibility in keeping their premises and even their neighborhood clean. Periodically WE go outside and pick up the trash that most likely someone else left but because we don't want our property to be an eyesore or nuisance or hazard to the rest of the neighborhood - we clean up! WE take out our trash. And WE speak to/address/report anyone who violates the standards or the laws. WE have a responsibility. If someone commits or is performing criminal activity on your property , you or someone else has to call. No responsible person would just wait - the Police don't magically show up. If you can about your person, your home ... your business, you take some responsibility. You might even take steps for prevention - put up more lighting, install cameras, buy a dog!

The store owner KNOWS HE has trash that HE needs to take out to the curb, that HE has litter on HIS premises he needs to clean up, that HE has criminal activity HE needs to report. He has responsibility to be a good neighbor who shouldn't want his property to be an eyesore or nuisance or hazard to the rest of the neighborhood. And if he doesn't want to be a good neighbor - we don't want him in our neighborhood! He has a right to operate a business and expect public services. But the way he operates his business should not infringe upon others peaceful enjoyment of and safe passage thru their neighborhood.