ONTARIO — City officials welcomed the opening of a Valero gas station at the Home Road and West Fourth Street intersection on Friday.
According to Mayor Randy Hutchinson, the property has sat vacant for a number of years.
“To see it completely remodeled and cleaned up is fantastic,” he said.
Owner Raj Chandat said construction and renovations took about eight months to complete.
The gas station opened in December of last year. Since then, Chandat has put the finishing touches to the property, with work done to the parking lot and landscaping.
“We wanted to get everything done and right before having the grand opening,” he said.
The 24-hour gas station has 10 pumps and a convenience store that offers a variety of goods.
A facility, approximately 2,000-square-feet in size, is adjacent to the convenience store. Chandat is looking to lease the facility, possibly to a restaurant such as Dunkin’ Donuts or Tim Hortons, but hasn’t finalized any plans, he said.
Chandat owns another Valero gas station located on North Main Street by the Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.
“I’ve had two projects in the City of Ontario going on for the last 12 months,” he said. “One down, one more to go.”
Chandat is set to open a new 86-room hotel, Towneplace Suites, at the end of this month or early next month, he said.
The extended-stay hotel is located on Ferguson Road behind Sam’s Club.
“The City of Ontario has been very supportive and helpful in making both of these projects (the new gas station and hotel) happen,” Chandat said.
