Gas station proposal rejected: what’s next?

Almost 3 years ago, the St. Joseph Chili’s on the corner of Niles Avenue and Hilltop shut down. The restaurant has since laid dormant until a building permit was submitted to St. Joseph Township to build a Meijer gas station in place of the old Chili’s. While the planning commission approved this proposal, the residents of Berrien County revolted against the idea, many posting on the “In & Around St. Joseph MI” Facebook group in disapproval.

With St Joseph being a small town, any sort of construction news starts a buzz and quickly spreads, especially when it’s controversial. Many residents pointed out how there’s already so many gas-stations within a mile or two of the site and the Martins supermarket just opened one this summer. So although the proposal made it through the committee the St. Joseph Township Board of Trustees denied it.

Now that the gas station debacle has been settled, one question still weighs on people’s minds: “What should replace the Chilis?” From a survey of 37 St Joseph High School students, many replied with other restaurants such as Panda Express, Chipotle, Canes or even to bring back the Chili’s. 

On the other hand, students also expressed a need for a general place for teenagers to hang out, especially during the winter.

While St. Joseph is a great town to visit, there is a lack of inexpensive, and accessible 3rd places for teens in particular to enjoy. 

A 3rd place is a place that isn’t school, home, or work. For example our closest mall is about 35 minutes away and really no way to get there by public transport. 

These so-called third places play a large part in forming connections within communities. According to the survey, students feel that without these places life feels boring and it’s hard to break out of bedrotting routines or find purpose outside of work and school. 

While the fate of the building is still up in the air, it seems clear that the St. Joseph Board of Trustees are more than willing to listen to community feedback when it comes to the issue,and have expressed interest in using the space in a way that will bring the community together.