On Aug. 4, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of an appeal challenging the Planning Commission’s approval of the proposed Maverik Fueling Station in Piñon Hills, sending the project back to the Planning Commission for reconsideration.
The proposed Maverik project was initially approved by the San Bernardino County Planning Commission in February 2026 by a 3-0 vote, despite concerns raised by local residents that the fueling station planned near Highway 138 and Oasis Road would bring increased traffic congestion, pollution and unwanted commercial expansion to their rural community.
The proposed project would include a 24-hour fueling station with 5,637 square feet of retail space on 8.78 acres.
Since the project’s approval, local Piñon Hills resident William Hale has conducted his own surveys and impact analysis of the proposed development. Hale, a retired engineer who previously worked for San Bernardino County in Transportation Design and Public Works, delivered a 15-minute presentation to the Board of Supervisors outlining what he described as missing or inaccurate technical studies and the inappropriate use of a minor use permit for a project of this scale.
Hale conducted two independent field surveys on July 12 and July 19 using equipment consistent with that used by Caltrans for similar studies. According to Hale, his findings identified several potential safety concerns, including limited visibility and obstructed views for northbound and southbound traffic on Oasis Road, as well as reduced visibility for vehicles turning onto Oasis Road from Buckthorn Road.
Hale also raised concerns about the site’s design and its ability to accommodate large trucks.
He said his analysis found violations in the site plans, stating, “The curb return radii do not physically accommodate STAA trucks […] and inadequate maneuvering space.”
Another major issue raised by Hale was the lack of traffic studies conducted on Oasis Road before the project was approved. The proposed fueling station would be located at 10450 Oasis Road, along a route that connects to the Piñon Hills Post Office, Highway 138 and Piñon Hills Elementary School.
Hale argued that processing the project under a minor use permit allowed the county to avoid additional traffic studies and circulation analysis that may otherwise have been required.
“This misclassification allows the county to avoid the traffic impact study, avoid the circulation analysis, and avoid a driveway geometry review, and avoid STAA truck turning analysis,” said Hale. “San Bernardino County processed this project under a minor use permit because it was easier, not because it was appropriate.”
The Board of Supervisors also heard from Maverik representative Kevin Deis, who defended the project’s approval process and argued that the proposed development met county requirements.
“We met the requirements of both the CEQA guidelines as well as the County Code, with regard to both the minor use permit and regarding the CEQA,” Deis said. “In the end this is a commercial zone, we’re allowed to use with a minor use permit.”
Second District Supervisor Jesse Armendarez questioned San Bernardino County Land Use Services staff about why the project was classified under a minor use permit in the first place.
County staff explained that the determining factor in classifying the facility as a local-serving use rather than a regional truck stop was that the project does not provide accommodations for truck drivers.
“The deciding factor that made it local vs regional was that it does not include overnight parking of trucks, does not include shower facilities, and is not intended for long-haul trucks to be there for a longer period than fueling. It is designed to service regular drivers up and down Highway 138 just like any other gas station,” the county representative said. “Gas stations are a minor use permit under the code.”
After hearing from both the appellant and the applicant, the Board of Supervisors determined that several concerns raised by residents warranted further review.
The four supervisors present at the meeting voted unanimously to grant the appeal and return the matter to the Planning Commission to reconsider all issues raised by the appellant.
Supervisor Armendarez said the purpose of sending the project back was to allow county staff and the Planning Commission to take a closer look at the technical concerns presented by Hale.
“I like us to see all the issues that he [resident William Hale] brought forward. If we can make sure to look at those to give our opinion as a county the accuracy of his analysis and bring that to the Planning Commission so they could have the opportunity to hear it once again with all things being equal and really look at it from that objective standpoint.”
The Board’s decision does not deny the Maverik project but instead sends it back to the Planning Commission for further consideration and more studies. The Planning Commission will now have the opportunity to review the concerns raised during the appeal, including questions surrounding traffic impacts, roadway visibility, truck circulation, site design and the project’s classification under a minor use permit. At this time there is no current date that has been announced by San Bernardino County for the Planning Commission to hold a new hearing regarding the Maverik project.
