Proposed East Lansing Sheetz Sparks Questions About Impacts on Traffic, Storm Water and Competition

The East Lansing Planning Commission held a public hearing to discuss the construction of a Sheetz gas station and restaurant at the intersection of Saginaw Street and Abbot Road, the site of a shuttered Rite Aid.

The proposal would demolish the current structure and construct a single-story, 6,139-square-foot building. Features of the 24-hour convenience store would include eight gas pumps and 46 total seats — 30 inside and 16 outside — for patrons to eat meals they order from kiosks. A drive-thru is also planned, along with the sale of take-away alcohol.

The Pennsylvania-based, family-owned business has a cult following for its large brick stores with red awnings. 

Alex Siwicki of Farmington Hills represented Sheetz at the Oct. 8 hearing.

“We honestly look for community centers,” he said when explaining the selection of the location. “We’re not so much a highway business, which I think a lot of people tend to label us as. We are that ultimate one-stop shop. We’re the perfect location for somebody to save three trips in one, right? So, let’s say you’re picking up a kid after school and you need to manage to go get something from the grocery store, get gas, and feed them before you drop them off at soccer practice. I can do all three things for you in one stop. So we try to center where people really need us, and that’s what really intrigued us about this location.”

Siwicki was seemingly unprepared to address some concerns raised by the commission.

A major sticking point was the traffic study completed during the summer of 2025. Commissioners pointed out that the influx of students from Michigan State University is less likely to be present in the summer, potentially skewing the study’s outcome.

Planning Commission Chair Joseph Sullivan also had questions about water runoff and soil erosion at the site that went unanswered.

Resident Meri Anne Stowe took issue with Siwicki’s claim that the area is underserved by gas stations.

“No disrespect to the spokesperson,” she said, “but he’s a lobbyist, and you are a planning council, and the word ‘plan’ by its very nature means look beyond the moment. Look beyond this exigency, this time, and look into the future. We are drowning in gas stations and convenience stores in the square mile that surrounds our neighborhood.

“One of the questions was what attracted you to this particular site? I think the answer is the corporation smelled blood in the water. The city is short on funds. Sheetz expects the city to roll over and do its bidding, and it’s going to move aggressively.”

During public comment, East Lansing City Council candidate Joshua Ramirez-Roberts agreed, listing four gas stations in the immediate vicinity and suggesting a mixed-use housing structure would better serve the community.

Sheetz’s potential future neighbor to the south — a Marathon station that was approved by City Council last year — was represented by owner Jason Berris. Berris’ business was approved to take the place of a different gas station that operated at the same location. He said he didn’t want to appear biased, but he couldn’t help but point out that another gas station in the area would be direct competition.

“Our location was always a gas station going back to the ‘60s and ‘70s,” he said. “We reduced the use on our property; it used to be a car wash and gas station and just went down to the gas station. My concern, nothing against Sheetz, but it’s a gas station, restaurant and drive-thru.”

Berris worried that traffic would only become more congested in the area. He also reiterated the hoops his proposal had to jump through, including a request from the city to change its color scheme from red to charcoal.

But the plan was not without its proponents.

Jacques West of Lansing called Sheetz “the Disneyland of convenience stores” and said he wished it was coming to his neighborhood.

Arthur Slabosky pointed out that the proposed site has no adjacent residential properties and that the city would gain tax revenue from a new business. He did, however, ask if law enforcement had weighed in on what impact the 24/7 nature of the business might have on local patrols and potential crime.

The Planning Commission will revisit the proposal at its next meeting on Oct. 29.