Some view the proposal as a sign of the business possibilities the Browns could bring with them, but others aren’t thrilled with the idea of living by a gas station.
BROOK PARK, Ohio — The intersection of Sheldon Road and state Route 237 in Brook Park is quite busy, with three gas stations on the corners. Now, there are plans for a fourth, with Circle K proposing a new location.
The proposed site was formerly home to Donte’s Restaurant and Pizza Shop for more than 50 years before it closed last summer. Some residents are against the new gas station, and made their concerns known at a special city council meeting on Tuesday.
“I chose to live behind a restaurant,” Barb Wells said. “I did not choose to live behind a gas station.”
Wells and other critics say traffic is already a problem in the area. Added to that, the Browns‘ headquarters are just a few blocks down the road in neighboring Berea.
“On Front Street, (we already have) Browns training camp, which will impact congestion,” Sergiy Goncharenko explained.
But according to others, the Browns could be the reason Circle K wants to come here. The team is seeking a move from downtown Cleveland and build its new stadium in Brook Park, just three miles away from the intersection.
For supporters, it’s a sign of the business possibilities an NFL franchise could bring to the city.
“They saw a market here that’s going to work for them,” former Brook Park Mayor Tom Coyne, who represents Circle K, told legislators of the company’s proposal. “Everybody sees the Browns in Berea and the Browns in Brook Park, and … you’re going to have to deal with a lot of this.”
Ward 2 Councilman Jim Mencini also wondered about the long-term consequences of rejecting Circle K.
“If I vote no, I sit there and say, ‘With the Browns project coming, am I telling other businesses that we’re going to be (rejecting them too?’ Will they think), ‘Geez, they didn’t allow a gas station’?”
Circle K says they made their choice for the location prior to the Browns announcing their intentions to move. Council has not yet made a final decision.