Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Grease Monkey is ready to expand its borders and offer new services to the residents of Steamboat Springs.

The business has offered services such as lube jobs to oil changes since November 1997.

Tonight the city Planning Commission will review a conceptual application for the shop's expansion from owners Roberta and Bob Rundell.

The expansion of the auto repair shop at the corner of U.S. 40 and Downhill Drive will include a 2,304-square-foot gas station with canopy and a new tire store that will take up 6,700 square feet. The tire store would also offer brake work, shocks and struts, wheel alignments and tire rotation.

The section of the lot that Grease Monkey will be building on is to the east of the current buildings.

"We're interested in having access 24 hours a day that would be totally plastic, which means there would be no attendant, so it would all be done through credit cards," Bob Rundell said. "In terms of tires, we want to offer a wide variety of brands."

City Planner Tom Leeson wrote that the applicants may have to provide a sidewalk along U.S. 40 or provide a pedestrian access easement along Downhill Drive, as recommended in the city's mobility and circulation plan.

The review tonight is only a conceptual review and will thus not get voted on.

The owners have proposed to enter into a maintenance and joint access agreement with owners of neighboring businesses that would improve access to U.S. 40 for a number of businesses.

"What we're looking in to is trying to get access off of U.S. 40 because we're going to have the gas pumps," Bob Rundell said.

Rundell said gas station customers will have access from two roads to get to the gas pumps.

Rundell said he is looking forward to hearing what Planning Commission members have to say so he can decide what modifications must be done to the application before he goes to get his development permit.