The gas station — which would be open 24 hours a day — would include a “green roof,” dispense alternative fuels and be built to LEED standards, said Todd Sneathen, the city’s director of public works.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System serves as a national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings, according to the Center of Neighborhood Technology’s Web site.

“Meijer has these facilities at many of their store locations around Michigan and the Great Lakes,” Sneathen said. “They wanted to pursue such a facility at this location as well.”

Both the Commission on the Environment and the Transportation Commission unanimously agreed to recommend that the City Council approves the project.

The Commission on the Environment was sold on the environmental components of the project, while the Transportation Commission was satisfied by a third-party study that determined the project wouldn’t cause traffic issues, according to the minutes taken during their respective meetings.

The Planning Commission rejected the proposal because it felt the project would worsen the traffic on Lake Lansing Road, as well as concerns from surrounding neighborhoods, said Peter Dewan, vice chairman of the commission.

“Meijer is clearly a very good corporate citizen,” he said. “The question becomes, as far as a service station, is that the most desirable location? And because of the traffic congestion issues, among other issues raised by the neighborhood, the general sense was that this might not be the best decision to make from a planning standpoint.”

Meijer has attempted in the past to build a gas station in the area, but failed largely because of neighborhood opposition, Sneathen said.

“It was suggested to them that somehow they had to differentiate this approach from previous ones,” he said. “They made it different with a neighborhood convenience store, and by adding the environmentally friendly aspect.”

There are currently four gas stations that offer alternative fuel in the Greater Lansing Area.

The only station in East Lansing that provides it is H & H Mobil, 1500 Haslett Road, said Lisa Scramlin, communication and programs coordinator for the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan.