Gardner City’s Development Review Committee reviewed a conceptual site plan from Walmart Real Estate Business Trust for a fueling station and 1,618‑square‑foot kiosk building at 677 Tiffany Boulevard on Oct. 21, 2025. Connor Ennis, a senior design engineer with Fuller, presented the proposal and technical background.

Ennis said the plan would convert an existing parking area into a fueling facility with an approximately 4,800‑square‑foot canopy serving eight multi‑product dispensers (about 16 fueling positions) and three underground storage tanks: two 20,000‑gallon tanks and one 10,000‑gallon tank. The kiosk would have seven dedicated parking spaces; the overall Walmart property would retain about 511 parking spaces, above the city’s minimum of 483 for the property as presented.

Staff and the project team discussed a range of regulatory and technical items. The site sits close to wetland buffers and some pavement exists within the 30‑foot no‑alteration buffer; the applicant intends to limit work to the existing guide rail line but the conservation commission must determine whether the filing is an RDA or an NOI. Ennis said the proposal modeled a conservative detention system pending infiltration testing, and staff advised the team to complete soil borings to confirm whether an underground infiltration system is feasible.

City staff noted stormwater requirements that apply locally, including target performance standards referenced in the meeting (90% TSS removal and a 60% phosphorus removal target), and said annual stormwater inspections should be submitted to DPW for an initial monitoring period. The applicant confirmed plans to replace landscaping removed for the fuel pad and to provide new lighting and pedestrian connections to the Walmart sidewalk; staff recommended additional landscaping to discourage unsafe mid‑lot pedestrian crossings and requested detectable warning details for sidewalks and ADA access.

Several permitting steps beyond planning review were flagged: because the aggregate site storage will exceed 10,000 gallons, the applicant will need a storage license from the city clerk and approvals and permits from the fire department; the state Department of Fire Services must also review the station design. City staff said the licensing process typically includes review by the public safety committee and action by the city council. Ennis acknowledged the need to coordinate electrical service (the kiosk is planned as an all‑electric building) and to discuss a pad‑mounted transformer and routing with the utility provider.

Staff asked about potential retail food sales, noting that any food service would require a health department plan review and a food permit; the applicant said the kiosk layout indicates typical convenience items and the health department would pre‑inspect before food service begins. Other technical concerns included roof material (metal canopies can affect rooftop runoff treatment and infiltration design) and double‑wall tank requirements and monitoring for underground fuel tanks.

Committee members discussed the meeting schedule and agreed to delay definitive site review: the applicant and staff agreed to continue the project to a preliminary review at the planning board in November to allow conservation commission and ZBA processes to progress before definitive site plan review. No formal approvals were made at the meeting.