Citgo Takes Another Go At 24/7 Hours

The owners of a Kimberly Avenue gas station are trying again to keep their business’s convenience store open all day and night — prompting neighbors to push back again on a proposal they say will make the Hill less safe.

That debate played out at Wednesday’s monthly meeting of the Hill South Community Management Team (CMT), where community members spoke of their fears that the gas station’s proposal would boost crime.

Fifteen Hill neighbors gathered in person at the parish hall on the Kimberly Avenue campus of Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School to hear from representatives of the Citgo and Sam’s Food Stores at 14 Kimberly Ave. Currently, the store is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday through Friday. If the store’s owners get their way, it will be open 24 hours every day.

When owners Mahmoud Alrqibat and Maged Elsayed petitioned to extend their hours last spring, the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) unanimously rejected their proposal. Residents argued in public hearings at the time that a 24/7 convenience store would become a haven for loiterers, violent crimes, and those seeking drugs and alcohol.

On Wednesday evening, Alrqibat and Elsayed said they are ready to address these concerns. The two men attended the CMT meeting with their lawyer, Ben Trachten, who told the group of Hill South neighbors that if the expansion is approved, the store would move to secure the surrounding property.

“It was poorly presented a year ago, and we’re hopefully going to do better this time,” Trachten said. ​“We’re really trying to come to you and get input on what you would like to see.” 

He explained that the store would install brighter lights, connect its security cameras to the police’s feed, and hire a private-duty security guard to patrol the parking lot.

“It seems to me a bit unfair that this gas station has to have shorter hours of operation than others, simply because their location is a little more difficult to police than others,” Trachten said. He argued that their desire to hire a security guard shows that the store’s owners want to be more vigilant. This is after police received 51 calls in the last year concerning incidents of loitering, drug dealing, and more on the gas station’s surrounding property.

But meeting attendees made it clear that even these changes do not assuage their concerns. 

Angela Hatley, communications director for the Hill South CMT, stated that a 24/7 convenience store might become a ​“gathering spot” in the middle of the night for prostitutes, gun owners, and drug users. Fellow Hill resident Paul Larrivee said it would ensure that ​“you have a commotion going on, all day and all night.” Many residents also worried that an on-duty private guard would be unable to limit violence or disorder, as questions still linger over whether the guards will be armed and authorized to chase people down. 

Neighbors also apparently weren’t convinced by Trachten’s argument that the Citgo gas station needed 24/7 service to remain afloat, emphasizing that they support small businesses but believe that any profit made during the later hours would be offset by the costs of private security. Nor were neighbors convinced by Trachten’s argument that a 24/7 store would benefit Hill South residents who work uncommon hours, like hospital or transportation workers. Neighbor Paméla Delerme, who works at Yale New Haven Hospital herself, said she would avoid patronizing the store if it was open late at night due to worries about encountering crime or violence. 

More than just debating the gas station’s hours, the meeting became a discussion of Hill South’s broader neighborhood identity. 

Alrqibat, one of the gas station’s owners, stated during the meeting that he lived in Wooster Square, prompting a handful of complaints from neighbors that he and his co-owner did not understand the troubles facing Hill South. ​“You don’t live here,” said Hartley. ​“I’ve lived in my house for 39 years this year… They always want to put things in this community that nobody else wants. But we are not the dumping ground.” 

Many residents echoed Hartley’s comments, recounting the many decades they lived in Hill South and stressing that the neighborhood deserves better. ​“No way would anyone in other community meetings permit this establishment to be open for 24 hours,” Delerme said.

At one point during the meeting, Trachten suggested that concerns about a 24/7 operation were not unique to Hill South: ​“all of New Haven is suffering the same things,” he explained. A resounding ​“no” rang out, neighbors’ voices echoing against the wooden beams and high ceilings of the parish hall. 

Despite the opposition, Alrqibat and Elsayed are pushing forth with their proposal. They framed their attendance at the CMT meeting as proof that they care about Hill South residents’ concerns. ​“We wanted to show up in good faith, get some feedback, and see if there were any things that the community would consider to be beneficial to limit disruptions,” Trachten said.

Next, the Citgo owners will formally file their request to change their hours — likely by July, according to Trachten. The Board of Zoning Appeals will decide if the gas station is more fortunate this time around. ​“If we are unlucky enough to lose this,” Hartley told Trachten, Alrqibat, and Elsayed at the meeting, ​“I do hope that you keep what we have said in mind.”