FORT MILL, S.C. — Parents in Fort Mill are speaking up against a proposed gas station slated to be built next to an elementary school.
According to city documents, a 7-Eleven is in the works for the corner of Fort Mill Parkway and S Doby’s Bridge Road.
Current plans show the gas pumps and underground fuel storage tanks will be placed hundreds of feet away from Doby’s Bridge Elementary School and its playground.
Kristy and Marc DeJesus have five children. Three of them currently attend Doby’s Bridge Elementary, and one more is expected to attend in the future.
"We heard so much about Fort Mill Schools that we literally chose this area,” Kristy said.
The DeJesus’ have been happy with their choice, that is, until they heard what is planned to be built next to the school.
"We all just assumed a yoga studio, a yogurt store, you know, a small business that we could really support,” Kristy said.
Kristy said once she heard the news, she started researching the effects of having a gas station in close proximity to the school.
The DeJesus’ have joined other parents in the area in protesting the construction of the 7-Eleven, citing health concerns from the air the children would intake from the gas station.
"I think about it at night,” Kristy said. “I can't sleep at night cause I think, I know, I know the dangers of what's here, and I'm going to send my kids to school."
Fort Mill Mayor Guynn Savage said the property was zoned for commercial use before the school was built, meaning a gas station can legally be built there.
"We are asking every question that we can, but legally where they have it planned and where they have designed it, they have a right to put it,” Savage said.
In addition to being positioned next to the school, the gas station would be along the Fort Mill Bypass.
Savage said the city has consulted experts about the placement of a gas station at the designated location. She said the city hasn’t received any guidance that a gas station shouldn’t be built along a bypass or next to a school.
“There’s been no guidance provided on any length of land that should exist between the two,” Savage said.
Savage said city leaders are consulting others to research environmental and health concerns.
"We do care,” Savage said. “We just have to go by the law and ensure that the work that we do is driven by research, experts, and that it's legal."
NBC Charlotte reached out to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control about potential concerns of a gas station being built next to a school.
The agency responded with this statement: “DHEC hasn't received any permit applications for installation of an underground storage tank (UST) system at the intersection of Doby's Bridge Road and Fort Mill Parkway.
DHEC's Underground Storage Tank Control Regulations specify installation and operating requirements for UST systems with a goal of preventing releases into the environment. DHEC inspects USTs on an annual basis to ensure owners and operators maintain them in compliance with the regulations.
Additionally, the EPA sets multiple federal air regulations for gas stations and other gasoline distribution operations.
These regulations require engineering controls, like vapor recovery systems, to reduce hazardous air pollutant emissions from escaping into the atmosphere as gasoline is transferred to USTs at gas stations and as gasoline is pumped into vehicle gas tanks.
It's important to note that DHEC's Underground Storage Tank Control Regulations do not address zoning requirements, including proximity to a school. Zoning decisions are typically made by local municipalities.”