The Petro Canada gas station on Water Street has been permanently closed since Nov. 14 after what the company is calling a "business decision."
The gas station at 200 Water St. on Highway 24 to Brantford will no longer be serving customers. Although it's been there for decades, the station is located next to the Grand River within in the flood zone designated by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and was prone to flooding.
"As part of a regular review of the Petro-Canada network of sites, we made the business decision to close this location," wrote Leithan Slade, communications adviser for Petro-Canada in an email to CambridgeToday. "We want to thank our customers and the community for their patronage and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
The future of the property is unknown. Petro-Canada would not say what it intends to do with it. But Lisa Stocco, communications director for the GRCA said anything built there would have to go through a stringent permit process.
"200 Water St. South in Cambridge lies entirely within the floodplain of the Grand River. Any future development proposed on the property would require a review by the GRCA, and if applicable, a GRCA permit pursuant to Ontario Regulation 150/06 under the Conservation Authorities Act," wrote Stocco in an email.
The GRCA couldn't go into detail about what types of development would be allowed, but that any interested developer would have to get GRCA approval.
The gas station property is directly across the the street from an approved five-tower apartment complex that has yet to break ground.
It is also located next to the city owned and recently renovated boat launch site at 210 Water St. S.
The City of Cambridge did not respond to a question about whether the property is of interest. In recent years, the city has purchased a number of properties along the river it feels have potential for placemaking opportunities.
