SAN RAMON — A decision on whether to approve a controversial new Costco gas station at the San Ramon/Danville border has been put on hold until at least mid-December.

The San Ramon Planning Commission discussed last week the proposed 32-pump gas station that Costco wants to install at the former Office Depot site on 3111 Fostoria Way, across the street and over the city boundary from the existing Costco in Danville.

At least two dozen speakers spoke at the public meeting, most of whom were against the project, saying they were concerned about the site being close to residences, that it could add more traffic and pollution, and even that the pumps could hurt small businesses.

“Just the idea of 6,000 more cars on Fostoria Way doesn’t make sense,” said one man. “It boggles the mind. Remember, there are people living right next to it.”

Some residents who spoke lived at the nearby Fostoria Terrace townhouses, which according to the city are about 520 feet east of the project site. Other speakers brought up a nearby prep school, and restaurant in a shopping center that they said could feel the traffic, noise and even health impacts of such a large gas station.

By comparison, the Livermore Costco store (13 miles away) has a gas station with 16 pumps, and the proposed Pleasanton Costco store, if it moves forward, would have 15 pumps.

At least two of the four voting commissioners (commissioner Gary Alpert recused himself for a potential conflict of interest with Costco) said they wanted more information before they could make a decision on the fueling station. Commissioner Howard Frank had concerns about the amount of gasoline the station would hold per year — about 32 million gallons.

“My problem is with the scope and the scale,” he said.

He asked for more information, such as the possibility of an independent analysis of Costco’s already completed traffic study, air quality studies and a summary from city staff of what the health risks could be for nearby residents.

Frank also questioned the number of cars expected to frequent the gas station — estimated at nearly 7,000 cars per day (if each pump were used for the entire time the station was opened).

Commissioner Rick Marks said he too wanted more information on the current traffic on Fostoria Way, which the traffic study did not include. Costco representatives said they hadn’t conducted traffic analysis of the current conditions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling that it might not be an accurate representation.

“I don’t have a good grip on the traffic on the street right now,” Marks said.

He too echoed Frank’s sentiment about the scale of such a large gas station, and the potential traffic it would bring to the area.

Although Costco is already planning to fund the installation of a traffic light as part of the project (which could cost upward of $200,000, Marks said), he also asked staff to look into having Costco set up a fund to maintain that light. He said not only would the city benefit from the signal, but also the Costco warehouse store itself across the street, and the city shouldn’t have to pay for the maintenance and repair costs.

“This application essentially asks San Ramon to be an adjunct parking lot for the warehouse, which is across the street,” he said.

Commissioner Jean Kuznik said the current number of cars that go to Costco across the street would be a good indicator of how many cars to expect at these pumps. She found Costco’s estimated of nearly 7,000 cars per day to be too high.

“I don’t think it’s going to be the onslaught that people anticipate. I hope I’m not proven wrong on that one,” she said.

The project plans call for demolishing the existing 30,000-square-foot building on the site and building a 32-pump self-serve station on the 2.88-acre lot. The hours of operation would be 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. The site is also between the Extended Stay Hotel to the east, CMG Plaza to the southeast at the Magnolia Square Shopping Center to the west.

In addition to nearby residents, a group called Safer San Ramon has also rallied against the proposal, finding concern with the 120,000 gallons of fuel stored underground. That could lead to contamination if there’s an earthquake, the group said, and big tanker trucks could be noisy delivering fuel to the station.

The San Ramon Planning Commission will continue discussing the Costco gas station project at its Dec. 15 meeting.