Controversial Columbia gas station clears design hurdle as court battle continues
A controversial 16-pump Murphy USA gas station at the busy intersection of Sunset Drive and North Main Street cleared a regulatory hurdle this week, while nearby neighborhood groups continue a legal fight to overturn the city’s earlier zoning approval for the project.
Columbia’s Urban Design Review Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to grant a certificate of design approval for the gas station project, after a March vote on the design was deferred. The city recently broke up the long-standing Design/Development Review Commission into two boards: the Urban Design Review Commission and the Historic Preservation Design Review Commission.
City staff said the developer made “significant improvements” to the design since March, including moving the convenience store closer to the intersection corner and revising materials to reduce Murphy’s “corporate” look.
The proposed Murphy station was approved by Columbia’s Board of Zoning Appeals in February, despite broad neighborhood opposition and despite the same board rejecting a similar Circle K gas station proposed for the site in 2023. The plan would bring a 16-pump, 2,800-square-foot gas station and convenience store to what many residents consider a “gateway” corner for the North Main corridor.
Opponents of the project have argued the large gas station conflicts with decades-old plans to make North Main more walkable and community-focused, and they’ve continued showing up at public meetings to object to the gas station, while developers say the project will enhance the area.
The Wednesday design approval doesn’t end the controversy over the project. Neighborhood groups have sued the city, asking a judge to overturn the Board of Zoning Appeals’ February vote granting a special exception for the Murphy station. That lawsuit remains ongoing.
The design vote is also separate from another looming concern for residents: what happens to the Auto Money Title Loans business currently on the site. Developers have framed the gas station project as removing the title-loan office, even though it is expected to be rebuilt on the property if city rules are changed.
Neighbors reiterate opposition
Neighborhood leaders again spoke against the gas station project during Wednesday’s meeting.
Betsy Newman, a longtime North Columbia resident and one of the neighbors suing over the zoning board’s February vote, told commissioners that the gas station does not fit with the long-standing vision laid out for the corridor in a 20-year-old master plan.
“It was supposed to be full of trees, full of walkability, full of community third places where people could gather,” Newman said. “I know it’s kind of futile, but I just want you to know … that what [they] are proposing is not what the community wants.”
Newman added that neighborhood groups want to work with the city to identify a project that meets the goals of the master plan. “We want to have a voice in what is developed there,” Newman said.
Bob Petrulis, president of the Hyatt Park/Keenan Terrace neighborhood association, told commissioners that neighbors remain concerned about what he called “a very oversized gas station with 16 pumps,” and the impact the gas station could have on traffic for the corridor.
In 2025, an average of more than 30,000 vehicles travelled the intersection each day, according to the latest traffic counts from the S .C. Department of Transportation.
While not one of Columbia’s busiest intersections, it is among the busiest in the North Main area. For decades, the corner has been seen as having potential for more. Millions in public dollars have gone toward making the North Main corridor look and feel more appealing to residents and small businesses.
A pain point for many residents who have spoken against the gas station has been the master plan passed in 2005, which Newman referenced, that envisioned something walkable and vibrant for the corner. Residents have also said there are already too many gas stations and convenience stores in the area.
Petrulis also told the board that the nearby neighborhood associations haven’t heard from the developers since last summer.
“So I think we’ve missed an opportunity to adopt a more collaborative approach here,” he said.
Newman said during the meeting that the neighborhood groups suing over the zoning board’s decision are waiting to hear an update on that lawsuit.
