LOS ALAMITOS : Residents Succeed in Barring New Car Wash

Much to their surprise, residents of the New Dutch Haven neighborhood have stopped the construction of a car wash and expanded convenience store on Katella Avenue.

After listening to neighbors complain that the project increase noise and traffic, the City Council this week denied managers of the Unocal station at the corner of Katella and Siboney Street permission to demolish existing gas pumps and a convenience store on its half-acre site and replace them with self-service pumps, a car wash and a larger convenience store.

Many of the residents had predicted the council would simply rubber-stamp the Planning Commission approval made in August.

“We had almost given up hope,” said Chris Jafari, who lives behind the gas station. His parents own a competing convenience store across the street.

About 80 residents packed council chambers to express their concerns about the noise generated by the car wash. They also were critical of an 18-foot sound wall Unocal representatives proposed as a barrier between the station and adjacent homes.

“It is going to be a big, ugly 18-foot wall,” said Ken Parker.

Scott Peotter, a Unocal projects manager, said city staff supported findings by the company’s consultants that the project would have little impact on noise or traffic.