UPDATE: Westfield Doesn't Want to Add New Parking for Costco

Update, Dec. 21, 2011:

Residents in a neighborhood bordering the Wheaton mall are not backing down and are demanding more time to comment on Westfield's parking waiver application. If approved, the waiver would mean Westfield would not have to provide any new parking for the Costco wing.

The Kensington Heights Civic Association has released a letter sent to the director of the Montgomery County's Department Permitting Services, in which it argues that the community did not have enough time to consider the parking waiver due to the county's procedural mistakes. The two-week established comment period ended today (Dec. 21) at 4 p.m.

KHCA's complaints are not directed at Westfield or Costco, but at the Department of Permitting Services. The letter is attached to this article.

Update, Dec. 20, 2011:

The two-week comment period for Westfield's parking waiver application ends Wednesday at 4 p.m. If Montgomery County grants the parking waiver, Westfield will not have to build new parking structures at the Wheaton mall, even with the addition of the Costco wing.

Although there was a request for an extended comment period, Susan Scala-Demby, the zoning manager for Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services, explained in an email why this was denied:

The extension request was denied because there was insufficient evidence that there was a need for it at this time.  I feel that everyone is focusing on the Costco Gas Station which may or may not be a reality.  The parking waiver was requested because Westfield requested that a parking ratio of 4.0 spaces/1000 square feet of retail development.

Since a building permit will be required for the COSTCO building, and Westfield cannot obtain a building permit without meeting the parking requirements, I felt it was important to have the parking waiver hearing at this time.  In addition, since The Traffic Group, Inc. had already performed a parking analysis for different days of the week in November (before and after Thanksgiving) to give an idea of the traffic flow and the number of cars.  I did not feel waiting for another 4 weeks or more would gain us any more information than we obtained at the hearing.  In addition it would result in a substantially more time delay for Westfield and/or COSTCO to file for and obtain a building permit.

I have discussed this with the director of our department, Diane Schwartz-Jones, and she was in agreement.

Original story, Dec. 6, 2011:

Westfield Wheaton has applied for a parking waiver from Montgomery County so that the regional mall will not have to build any new parking structures for the incoming Costco wing.

But neighborhood groups argue that cannot accurately gauge whether extra parking is needed until after the Costco opens.

The Kensington Heights Civic Association and the Kensington View Civic Association both submitted testimony at this morning’s hearing at the Department of Permitting Services in Rockville.

They are asking Westfield to postpone until after the Costco wing (which includes the Dick’s Sporting Goods on the lower level) is built and open for business.

The community groups said that they were not given enough notice about the parking waiver application, and that the Department of Permitting Services failed to send them the appropriate documents, even after repeated requests. The groups said they went to Jim Agliata of Westfield, for copies of the application.

Westfield representatives presented their case to the zoning manager, arguing that the mall already has more than enough parking. They are asking the county to waive a parking requirement set at 4.5 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of what is called “gross leasable area” so that Westfield will not be forced to create new parking it says it does not need.

“Over half the parking spaces are not being used at the mall,” Agliata said. If Westfield does not get the waiver, Agliata said that the mall would need to add a parking structure in order to bring in the Costco.

Westfield wants a reduction of the parking ratio to 4.0, which would provide more than enough parking spaces, according to a traffic expert brought in by Westfield as an expert witness.

Wes Guckert, president of The Traffic Group Inc., conducted three traffic studies for Westfield: in October 2010, September 2011 and during Black Friday (and surrounding days) a few weeks ago. Guckert found a maximum parking ratio of 1.8 in 2010, 2.1 in September 2011 and a high of 2.94 on Black Friday--the busiest shopping day of the year.

“Even at 4.0, we know we’ll have excess spaces even when Costco is built,” Guckert said.

On Black Friday, The Traffic Group counted 4,300 cars parked at noon.

Westfield currently has 6,428 spaces, including WMATA spaces near the Wheaton Metro station. If the parking ratio of 4.5 per 1,000 square feet remains the same, Westfield will be required to have 6,750 spaces once the Costco wing is built.

But if the county approves the waiver, the number of parking spaces will be 6,079--because Westfield will lose some parking spaces to the new construction, but will not have to build any new parking structures.

Westfield did not conduct any traffic studies when both the Macy’s and the old Hecht’s were opened at the regional mall.

Eleanor Duckett of the Kensington View Civic Association said that she and her neighbors are worried that overflow parking will spill out of the mall and into their neighborhood.

Guckert noted that the county would be able to instate a residential parking permit program that could help protect residents if parking became a problem.

Donna Savage of the Kensington Heights Civic Association said it would be premature to make a decision before the county approves or rejects the special exception for the Costco gas station, which is still pending.

The site plan submitted with the waiver request assumes that the gas station will be approved.

Anyone interested in submitting comments has a two-week period in which to send them to Susan Scala-Demby at susan.scala-demby@montgomerycountymd.gov. Scala-Demby, who is the zoning manager at the Department of Permitting Services, will then review the testimony and comments and pass them on to the director, who will then make a decision whether to approve the waiver.