Walmart wants a gas station. But it will have to fix this traffic 'nightmare' first

For some reason, the Walmart in the 5300 block of Cortez Road never informed its engineering team that there is a traffic problem at its entrance on Cape Vista Drive.

Walmart hopes to put a new gas station and convenience store near the entrance along Cortez Road, but company officials never offered a traffic study on how to make it easier to get in and out of the store's parking lot.

"I have not received that information from the store," said Craig Cornelison, of Cornelison Engineering & Design.

Shoppers at this Walmart already know that it's not the easiest store to get in or out of due to the odd configuration and multiple stop signs into the parking lot from Cape Vista Drive.

When Walmart first submitted its proposal in May, it got largely mixed reactions from shoppers. Many agreed, however, that traffic at the intersection was a concern to the point they would re-consider whether to keep shopping there.

Mixed reactions were also expressed Wednesday as the project appeared before the city's planning commission for approval of a special use permit required for fueling stations.

Commissioners had no issues with the project itself but said any approval should be conditional on fixing a "traffic nightmare."

"This is a case of just because you can, doesn't mean you should," said Planning Commissioner Daren Autrey. "People have to run the stop sign to make the light because of the odd stop sign locations that back up cars away from the light. Your project is a victim of an existing condition, but this is an opportunity to fix it. I have no problem with the store plan or the placement, just the intersection."

Planning Commission Chairman Ben Bakker said without a fix, "It's creating the perfect storm. There are already concerns daily of the constant gridlock there."

The commission unanimously recommended approval to the city council, which is scheduled to hear the proposal July 11, but with the sole stipulation that the city council receive an updated traffic engineering report with proposed solutions.

"This plan needs to be fixed before it gets to city council," Autrey said.

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Walmart wants a gas station. But it will have to fix this traffic 'nightmare' first."