ATLANTA – A new gas station could replace the old Racetrac near the Georgia State campus.

The location was originally closed earlier this year after a 21-year-old man was shot and killed, one of four shootings in a year.

“The previous gas station was a magnet for negative activity,” said Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond.

Images taken in February showed a heavy police presence at the Racetrac near Piedmont Avenue and John Wesley Dobbs Avenue.

A 21-year-old was killed in a shooting. It was the fourth shooting near the gas station in just over a year.

A 19-year-old woman was killed months earlier.

Due to the crimes and complaints, the gas station had to be closed. Now a new owner wants to ensure that the pumps start flowing again.

“I can’t swear now, but this crap is insane,” said Steve Pearson. “I think if they reopen it, there should be strict safety measures in place.”

Many of our interviewees, including Darnell Reed, believe that safety should be the top priority if it is given the green light.

“A strong police presence,” Reed said. “There is security around the clock.”

“This property needs to be strictly managed. Clear boundaries need to be drawn,” said Atlanta City Councilwoman Liliana Bakhtiari.

Bakhtiari says there is still a long way to go.

“There are a lot of talks going on right now about discussing and identifying problems, but how do we solve them?” Bakhtiari said.

Bakhtiari says the groundwork is currently being laid with potential new owners, her team, neighborhood groups and several police departments.

“If the owners go through with this, they must not allow loitering on their property, ask everyone for their ID, prohibit the sale of certain alcoholic beverages and not allow the sale of individual packages,” Bakhtiari said.

FOX 5 contacted the potential business owner but has not received a response.