The City of Issaquah’s land use committee conditionally approved a proposal for a gas station in the Issaquah Highlands on Tuesday evening.

The proposal from Port Blakely Communities requests putting in a gas station near the southern entrance of the Highlands.

The station’s go-ahead is predicated on several conditions, including meeting stricter regulations for environmental protection, as well as a curfew for any attached convenience store.

The city is also insisting that a portion of the lot be kept available and landscaped so as to allow the operator to one day install a facility for alternative fueling.

The planned station would likely have three fuel pumps with space for six vehicles.

The proposed amendment also includes language which would allow essential public facilities to put in fueling tanks, often used to power emergency generators.

This caveat was included as Swedish Medical Center has purchased land in the Highlands with the intent of building a hospital on the site.

The hospital would need several large diesel fuel tanks on site to run emergency generators in case of power loss, something which was previously not allowed in the Highlands.

While the committee did approve the proposal they did so with concerns.

“I’m not sure how excited I am about it,” said committee and council member John Traeger. “I’m frustrated to see this is the first thing.”

John Rittenhouse, the committee chair, said he appreciated the Environmental Council’s concerns and agreed that the gas station was moving the community away from previous goals.

“I would never want another gas station, it’s not forward looking, it’s looking backward,” said Rittenhouse. “But that’s not real. We’re not there yet. I’ll support it, but I wish I didn’t have to.”

One of the committee’s concerns about the gas station dealt with possible effects to the environment.

They were especially concerned about pollutants getting into the aquifer, but city staff said a lot of those worries come down to the management of the site, as leaks and other hazards are carefully monitored, per industry standards.

“It really comes down to the management,” said Dana Zlateff, an environmental associate with the city. She said the requirements being included in the proposal by the city are more strict than for other sites. “It’s what I would recommend on site anyway,” she said of the stricter rules.

Connie Marsh, a member of the Issaquah Environmental Council, said her group was against the station in the Highlands because they did not want to encourage use of cars as transportation, something the community had ideally hoped to move away from.

Port Blakely reported to the council that the residents were largely for a station.

According to a survey conducted by the developer, 72 percent of respondents were for a gas station, while approximately 69 percent were for a convenience store at the same location.

The committee and Port Blakely agreed that a 10 p.m. curfew on the store would be enacted to alleviate concerns about late night activities, while the gas pumps would remain open a few hours longer.

During that time the attendant would remain at the station to deal with any spill issues.

Another area which Port Blakely wanted to encourage was offering alternative fuels at the station.

While representatives said it was difficult to know what alternative fuel was going to be demanded, and how best to dispense it, giving operators the option would hopefully encourage them to use it.

As an incentive Port Blakely is including a 1,500 square foot space next to the station, which will be included in the title transfer to the operator who purchases the land at no extra cost.

The land, which will remain landscaped as one of the committee conditions, can be developed by the station operator for an alternative fueling site.

“This is what stations today don’t have, land to do new things,” said Alan Boeker, the president of Port Blakely Communities.

City staff will make the requested changes to the proposed amendment and it will appear before the city council at the Aug. 17 meeting.

More specifics regarding the regulations for gas stations can be found on the city’s Web site at www.ci.issaquah.wa.us.