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Developer Threatens To Sue Sacramento Over Curtis Park Village Safeway Gas Station

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The developer behind the Curtis Park Village project is threatening to sue the city of Sacramento over the city's rejection of a proposed gas station in a shopping center.

Paul Petrovich wants the city to authorize another vote on whether a Safeway fuel station should be allowed to move forward. He says the company has told him they will not move into the property without the gas station, putting the centerpiece in jeopardy.

The Sacramento City Council rejected the proposal 6-2, saying much of the proposed development in the area had been transit-oriented and residents were concerned about the increase in the number of vehicles at the proposed gas station with people coming into the area to use Safeway gas rewards.

Petrovich said without the gas station, Safeway told him they weren't interested in the area. After the proposal was rejected, he floated the idea of replacing the Safeway with a grocery outlet and a Dollar Store. That plan was seen by many as a threat to cut into the value nearby homes.

Petrovich has agreed to relocate the gas station farther away from homes, and make it smaller on the same property, but residents have balked at that option.

Petrovich says he sent the city a draft of his complaint on Monday.

"It's the last thing I want to do--but they've taken away my property rights here—there was contractual interference," he said.

He also points out the loss of potential jobs for the community of Oak Park, as Safeway has put in writing that those residents would be the first choice for filling 200 union jobs. The community near Curtis Park is facing high unemployment.

The project is part of the second-largest infill section in Sacramento. The largest, the railyards on the northern end of Sacramento, will be filled partly by a Kaiser Permanente facility that will replace a hospital on Morse Avenue in Sacramento County. A proposed Sacramento Republic soccer stadium would also fill part of the site as the team attempts to join Major League Soccer.

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