Downtown Vancouver could lose one of its last gas stations

One of the lasttwo gasstations in downtown Vancouver couldclose after Chevron Canada Ltd.announced it's seeking offers on the propertylocatedin one of the hottest real estate market on the continent.

Chevronspokesman Adrien Byrne said the company is also soliciting offerson two of its otherstation sitesin the city, another sign of the high value of Vancouverreal estate.

Oneof the stations isdowntown, at Bidwell and Georgia Streets.Another is at Dunbar and 39th Avenue, and a third is in East Vancouver at First Avenue and Clarke Street.

Byrne said the land where these station are located especially the downtown and Dunbar sites is worth more to a developer as a property than as a gas station.

"It's apparent to Chevron Canada Ltd. that the sites could be put to a higher and greater land use than their current operations," Byrne said.

"So the value of the land could be more valuable to someone else than it is to Chevron operating it as as a gas station."

Chevron seeking offers

Byrne stressed that the sites aren't for sale yet. If the right offers come in, the land will be sold.

"It's being marketed by a broker," Byrne said."But that's different tosaying that a decision to divest has been made.

"That decision has not been made and will not be madeuntiloffers are evaluated."

The company has owned the property since 1989.

The only other downtown Vancouver gas station is an Esso at Burrard and Daviestreets near St. Paul's Hospital.

Byrne said the company empathized with drivers, but noted the Chevron does operate 24 stations in the city.