At 600 Magnolia, the gas station's repair bays give way to a convenience store

At 600 Magnolia Avenue, the Chevron/Shell station at the Lucky shopping center site, applicant Abe Abukamash and owner Mo Mashhoon asked the Planning Commission for Design Review and a Circulation Assessment Permit to remove the existing auto service bays and expand the convenience store to fill the entire building footprint. The plans call for taking out the roll-up garage doors, relocating the customer entrance, adding new windows, a rear exit door, a walk-in cooler and a customer service area. The gas canopy and the number of pumps do not change. The Circulation Assessment Permit was triggered because the project is projected to generate more than 110 vehicle trips per day; the parcel sits in the T-D (Transitional Downtown) zoning district.

“It is becoming hard for us to live on just gas... it dried out basically because it was like I claimed headache after headache, it just rather leave it alone then move on to something else that we can deliver to the community.”— Abe Abukamash, applicant, on closing the repair bays at 600 Magnolia

Staff recommended approval subject to findings, conditions including a garbage cleanup requirement, and a Class 1 CEQA exemption. Abukamash told commissioners the repair side of the business had simply stopped working — mechanics had become unreliable, and outside mechanics were parking and servicing cars in the lot. "It is becoming hard for us to live on just gas... it dried out basically because it was like I claimed headache after headache, it just rather leave it alone then move on to something else that we can deliver to the community," he said, pointing to a similar conversion he had done at his Burlingame station.

Commissioners spent most of the hearing on the practical details rather than the design. One asked who owns the parking behind the store and whether the traffic study's trip counts matched real life; Abukamash said fuel volumes peaked around 2011–2012 and have fallen with electric vehicles, leaving room under the projections. Another urged the store to stock everyday staples — milk, eggs, toilet paper, healthy snacks — for elderly residents from Rose Lane who lost easy walking access when Lucky's closed, noting "a lot of discussion online about the lack of the Lucky's." Commissioner Brock, who recalled the station back to "Jim Walker's" days, suggested signage to manage congestion and floated converting the unused ramp from Magnolia into parking. "You know what, that's a brilliant idea — as a matter of fact, I park my car there always... yeah, we can do that, absolutely," Abukamash replied.

Commissioner Liam flagged one more item before moving approval: a condition requiring fuel and supply deliveries be scheduled during off-peak hours. With that added, the commission approved the project 4-0, with Commissioner Hull absent.

On the applicant's willingness to stock what neighbors ask for, Abukamash said: "We're always open to customers to ask us and give us what you want... this what community would tell us, I will give it to them."