Veneta gas station, coffee shop plan advances after packed hearing

Opponents filled Veneta City Hall on April 7, but the proposal for a gas station, convenience store and drive-through coffee shop at 88315 Territorial Highway kept advancing after a hearing that ran nearly two hours.

About 30 residents turned out before the City of Veneta Planning Commission to argue that the site, near Highway 126, Territorial Highway and Jeans Road, is already too congested. Neighbors said another high-traffic business would add turning conflicts, hurt visibility and make an already busy corridor less safe.

The application, filed by US Market, sought a Conditional Use Permit, Site Plan Review and Variance for the project on land owned by Polen Futures LLC. The city notice identified Ronald James Ped Architect, PC, as the applicant’s representative and Daniel Findlay, associate planner, as the city’s contact. Written comments were due by March 27, and the notice said the commission could approve, deny or approve the request with conditions.

Residents’ objections went beyond traffic. Some said Veneta, a city of 5,194 people in the Census Bureau’s 2024 estimate and 5,214 in the 2020 census, already has enough of the kinds of businesses proposed for the site. Others said the city should be chasing services it does not have, including urgent care and mental health support, instead of adding another convenience stop.

The developer answered questions during the hearing, but several people in the room left unsatisfied. City Administrator Matt Michel said the meeting did what public hearings are supposed to do: surface unanswered questions and push developers to address them. He also said the discussion did not uncover anything that would prevent the commission from applying the land-use code as written.

That leaves the next round of scrutiny in the details of the plan, where traffic handling, site layout and access will likely matter as much as the use itself. The fight over this parcel also sits inside a longer argument about growth in western Lane County, where a small market can feel every new commercial addition on the ground.

Lane County says it has worked with Veneta for more than a decade on bicycle and pedestrian safety along Territorial Highway between Veneta and Elmira, and both the county and city transportation plans recommend a multi-use path on the west side of the highway. The county says that connection is critical for Elmira residents reaching goods and services in Veneta and for Veneta residents reaching three public schools in Elmira.

Veneta’s Transportation System Plan, adopted in April 2019 and looking ahead to 2040, already flags funding problems and the link between land use and transportation as central issues. Oregon Department of Transportation separately said in its OR 126 Veneta-to-Eugene study that it did not have funding in 2021 to finish a study within Veneta city limits, even as it prepared a $30 million corridor project east of town with two roundabouts near Huston Road and Ellmaker Road. For residents watching Territorial Highway, the planning commission hearing showed that public testimony can force hard questions, but not always stop a project.