Hampton Adopts New Gas Station Standards; Four New Stations Presently Looking to Build in the City

The Hampton city council passed a 90-day moratorium on gas stations in December. This allowed city staff to review the existing standards and recommend changes.

Four gas stations are currently being planned for construction within the city of Hampton, and the city council has just passed the first reading for new gas station standards.

The new standards include the following:

According to city staff, items 2-6 are already in city code. Only item 1, a restriction on COAM machines, is new. The updated standards do not apply to any existing service stations.

In addition, Hampton is proposing a one-mile buffer requirement. This would prohibit a new service station from opening within one mile of an existing gas station. Applications presently under review are not subject to this limitation. McDonough similarly passed a one-mile buffer in January.

There is, however, an exception if a service station is part of a larger retail development. Think grocery stores which also offer a fueling station. The exception allows a service station if the new gas station is on the opposite side of the road from an existing gas station. There can be no gas stations within one mile on the retail development’s side of the road.

The below map illustrates this one-mile buffer. It has the one-mile buffer on existing service stations, shown in green, and proposed gas stations (blue).

The buffer would leave few locations eligible for a gas station within the city. US 19 / 41 south of GA 20, and out Lower Woolsey Road, could support a gas station. A small section of Georgia 20 at the eastern end of the city also falls outside of the buffer. Any service station would still need to obtain commercial zoning for the proposed location.

Presently, four new gas stations intend to build in Hampton. They are at the following locations:

The four locations above all appear to have existing commercial zoning, based on the city's presentation. At least one such service station will begin construction shortly. A fifth proposal, located on GA 20 at East Main Street, withdrew its request.

The four new locations would join four existing service stations in Hampton.

The Hampton council passed the first reading of the new gas station standards on February 11. They will consider the second and final reading in March. The council's March meeting is on a different date than usual because of a national conference. The Hampton council will instead meet on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 pm.