James Bay residents have launched a new petition calling on Victoria’s mayor and council to address a planned development that appears to have run out of fuel. Petitioner Jen Reimer says the developer hit the breaks on the gas station project at 308 Menzies St. years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, it sits partially complete, surrounded by temporary fencing and overrun by weeds. “Since 2017, this embarrassing eyesore has been stalled on a main artery in our beautiful community. It’s held hostage to much-needed fuel/propane/charging services required by 12,700 residents, various businesses and dozens of workers and visitors,” wrote Reimer on the Change.
org page, which launched June 7. “It’s a magnet for vandalism and other crimes.” The location is the former home of Save-On Gas, which was James Bay’s only gas station before it closed.
During a Dec. 2016 James Bay Neighbourhood Association meeting, attendees discussed the property, with plans to rezone the Save-On into a new gas station with offices and commercial space, including a convenience store. A Google Maps street view shows the Save-On still operating as of May 2018.
Victoria Archives says the original oil service station was around since the ’60s. “There was a gas station for years, and it had a convenience store. It had a few employees who were told they’d get rehired,” said Katie McCready, who lives nearby and recently clipped posters on the now derelict property’s fencing.
“James.
