Sheetz suspends plans for location on Morse Rd in Gahanna after area residents push back

Sheetz has suspended plans for a proposed gas station and convenience store on Morse Road near the roundabout at Johnstown Road (U.S. 62) in Gahanna, according to an announcement the city published on Facebook.

Sheetz's decision to abandon the proposed location comes after area residents railed against it and following consultation with the New Albany Company and Gahanna Mayor Laurie Jadwin, according to the Facebook post. Residents praised the news shared on Gahanna's Facebook page, with many simply saying "Thank you."

Previous reporting: Gahanna and New Albany residents square off against proposed Sheetz near roundabout

Residents of Gahanna and New Albany were just the latest to fire back against plans for a Sheetz near the Morse and Johnstown roads roundabout. During a March 8 planning commission meeting, residents cited public safety, traffic issues, aesthetics and other issues as reasons that plans for the store shouldn't move forward.

The store would have been part of an expansion in Ohio that Sheetz announced in 2020. The company said at the time it planned to open 50 stores in the Columbus area by 2025.

The 6,131-square-foot store was to be on 4.2 acres owned by The New Albany Company. It would have included 43 parking spaces, 16 fueling stations and 74 trees and shrubs surrounding it, according to planners.

The store would have been walking distance to a Goddard School, The Barn At Rocky Fork restaurant and High Bank Distillery Gahanna, all desired amenities.

Area residents, however, said the Sheetz project simply didn't fit there. Among the proposed plans residents said would not work was Sheet's proposal to put a traffic light on Morse Road a short distance from the roundabout in order to help traffic going into and out of its planned store.

"We're going to have strangers in the neighborhood next door to a children's school," New Albany resident Carole Scherker said at the planning meeting. "No matter how many fences they put in, no matter how many trees they put in, it's going to look like a circus tent."

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mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sheetz store canned after Gahanna, New Albany residents push back