Thursday, May 17, 2012
Emotions occasionally ran high as two of Wheaton’s most controversial issues were discussed at the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee's May meeting.
In contrast to the April WRAC meeting, which saw a packed room including three members of the Montgomery County Council and numerous citizens, the May meeting was slightly more subdued, yet the topics discussed – predatory towing and Costco’s gas station special exception request – garnered a similar level of passionate debate and discussion. Rob Klein first offered a brief redevelopment report that included updates on Parking Lot 13 (where recent drill tests did not reveal any significant obstructions to construction) and completion by Lowe Enterprises of the sketch plan phase for the “Computer Building” located at 11141 Georgia Avenue. Klein also announced a Parks & Planning meeting on May 21 about accessory apartments in Montgomery …
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-77.051036
Mid-County Regional Services Center
2424 Reedie Dr, Silver Spring, MD
/articles/predatory-towing-and-costco-s-gas-station-special-exemption-main-focus-of-may-wrac-meeting
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
With the special exception process put on hold, Costco is asking its members to contact the Montgomery County Council to show support for the proposed gas station.
Costco is now using the email addresses of its members to appeal for their help in convincing the Montgomery County Council not to pass legislation that would block Costco's business interests in Wheaton. In early May, Costco sent letters to its store members in Montgomery County (and reportedly as far afield as northwest D.C. and Boyds, Md.), asking for support for the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton. The letter asked members to attend the May 17 Planning Board hearing for Costco's special exception application and to send in a pre-paid postcard expressing their support. But now that the Montgomery County Board of Appeals has put the brakes on the special exception process, the May 17 date is out the window--and Costco …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Take a look inside the May 8 edition of "Montgomery Al Dia."
With red hair, red dress and red heels to match her fiery personality, Lorna Virgili checks her reflection in her iPhone before taping her bilingual radio show, which will hit not only the airwaves, but also a YouTube audience. Virgili hosts "Montgomery al Dia," a weekly half-hour Spanish-language segment on all things Montgomery County, which is broadcast every Tuesday at 2 p.m. on Radio America's 1540 AM channel. The studio is located in what is known as the Computer Building in Wheaton, at 11141 Georgia Avenue. Since its launch on April 3, full episodes of all of Virgili's broadcasts are now available on Montgomery County's YouTube channel. Virgili works as a Montgomery County public information officer and the principal Spanish-media…
Monday, May 14, 2012
Scientist Henry S. Cole points out problems with the air pollution models used in an environmental study commissioned by Costco for its gas station special exception application.
At Thursday's press conference in Rockville about the Costco gas station and Zoning Text Amendment 12-07, Henry S. Cole elaborated on the "numerous deficiencies and errors" that he said he found in Costco's environmental studies, which were prepared by Sullivan Environmental Consulting.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
We tell you the favorites from our Readers' Choice polls from around the county.
It's almost Mother's Day, which means if you actually planned ahead you either have flowers headed to mom's door or are taking her out to a meal. For nearly two weeks, we asked our Patch readers in Montgomery County to tell us which restaurants were the best within their regions for a meal with mom this Sunday, May 13. Maybe it's their signature Bloody Mary drinks or brunch burger but in Rockville, Matchbox took the win. But you might have to check them out next time, since manager Steve Hesson said they are "pretty booked." Readers in Gaithersburg and Germantown think French cuisine is the best for mom when they crowned Crepes-A-Go-Go in the Kentlands the winner with 40 percent of the vote. The Gaithersburg creperie features handmade, …
Friday, May 11, 2012
The restaurant serves an average of 300 to 400 guests every Sunday.
Every weekend local residents in Silver Spring (and nearby) can depend on dining at Mrs K’s Toll House on Sunday for brunch. When you walk in the restaurant, the smells make your taste buds salivate with dishes including beef brisket, grits, baked salmon with dill, roasted turkey, baked ham, omelets, a raw bar, and homemade bread pudding. The historic restaurant—located at 9201 Colesville Rd.—took home the majority of the votes Wednesday in a Readers' Choice: Mother’s Day Brunch poll. Out of 15 votes, the restaurant received six. Spiro Gioldasis, the general manager for Mrs K’s Toll House, says it’s no surprise to him that his restaurant was voted number one. “We have been the best brunch for the past 12 years [in this area]. It’s very …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Montgomery County councilmembers join Kensington Heights representatives to denounce the proposed siting of the Costco gas station in Wheaton as a public health hazard.
This article was corrected on May 11. Please see the end of the article for more details. Opponents of the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton say the environmental studies commissioned by Costco are flawed. Three Montgomery County councilmembers joined representatives from the Kensington Heights Civic Association outside the council building in Rockville Thursday morning to speak about the impact of mega gas stations and the reasons why the Costco gas station should not be sited next to the Kensington Heights neighborhood. Montgomery County Councilmembers Marc Elrich (At-large), Valerie Ervin (District 5) and Nancy Navarro (District 4) are all sponsors of a zoning text amendment introduced in April that would prohibit large …
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-77.151159
Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Ave, Rockville, MD
/articles/gas-station-opponents-find-scientific-flaws
384343
/locations/6992778
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Henry S. Cole, an environmental scientist who has found problems with a recent environmental assessment of the proposed Costco gas station, will speak on behalf of the members of the Kensington Heights Civic Association.
After months and years of discussions about the proposed Costco gas station in Wheaton, members of the Kensington Heights Civic Association will hold a news conference together with three Montgomery County councilmembers Thursday at 10 a.m. on the front steps of the County Council Office Building in Rockville. Montgomery County Councilmembers Marc Elrich (At-large), Valerie Ervin (District 5) and Nancy Navarro (District 4) are all sponsors of a zoning text amendment introduced in April that would put certain limits on building gas stations that dispense more than 3.6 million gallons per year. If passed, the ZTA would require a 1,000-foot buffer between the gas station and "any public or private school, or any park, playground, or …
39.08212
-77.151159
Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Ave, Rockville, MD
/articles/councilmembers-to-speak-out-against-mega-gas-stations
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The introduction of a zoning text amendment directed toward large gas stations is what precipitated this fourth postponement.
A recently introduced zoning text amendment in the Montgomery County Council has disrupted the special exception process for the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton. The Montgomery County Board of Appeals has postponed four scheduled days of hearings in June before the Hearing Examiner, although not for the reasons put forth by the Kensington Heights Civic Association and its coalition. Both sides (Costco and the Kensington community groups) must propose new dates by May 12. The scheduled May 17 hearing for the special exception before the Montgomery County Planning Board has also been indefinitely postponed. The KHCA filed a motion for continuance, claiming that Costco did not follow legal procedures in revising its …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Costco members in the greater Silver Spring area received a mailing asking for their support of the proposed Costco gas station in Wheaton.
Two weeks ago, Costco held a community open house to make the case for the proposed gas station at Westfield Wheaton, a gas station that the majority of residents in the adjacent Kensington Heights neighborhood adamantly oppose. Costco followed up on that community outreach effort with a mailing dated April 24, that reached some homes of local Costco members Thursday evening. The letter, which does not mention the Kensington Heights neighborhood, is attached to this article in PDF form. [Get daily and breaking news email updates by signing up for free newsletters from Wheaton Patch.] In the letter, Costco asks its members to demonstrate their support for the gas station in two ways: by attending the Planning Board's public hearing on May …
Howard Nussbaum
12:42 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Again, the Costco is coming. The issue is about the mega, 16-pump, gas station located next to schools and residences. The gas station that will increase local traffic while not increasing economic activity one bit. The drivers that come from around the county or DC would pay for gas somewhere else anyways. How does it benefit the local community to have someone to drive from DC or Gaithersburg … more ›