Costco Confirms Wheaton Opening Date

AntonFisher January 29, 2013 at 05:52 pm

No new location is needed in the vicinity. The entire Silver Spring-Bethesda-Wheaton-Kensington-Rockville area is saturated with gas stations. We do not need an additional mega one in the area.

Eric S. January 30, 2013 at 02:42 pm

I'm far happier that Costco itself is coming, so I no longer have to drive to G'burg (crappy Costco) or Crystal City (parking lot of DOOM), but having had the benefit of Costco gas when I was commuting to Howard County, I'd love to see that come in too. Can we just bulldoze the crappy mall and put it there?

AntonFisher January 30, 2013 at 05:33 pm

You must not have been at the mall in years. It is great mall and is still growing. It is the largest mall in Montgomery County. What does make this mall crappy in your eyes, Eric S.?

Jim Core January 30, 2013 at 08:56 pm

We can do better than wedging a gas station in neighborhood where there is no need and the pollution will adversely affect the community. It is going to adversely affect the other stations (those are small business people running those franchises) and inconvenience the 75% of area residents that are not Costco members when some of those stations inevitably close.

P V January 30, 2013 at 10:12 pm

Why would anyone be in favor of more development in the area, creating more traffic problems. We already have at least 25 grocery stores within a ten mile radius (probably more). Who needs at 50 pack of toiletpaper???

Commentous January 31, 2013 at 02:02 am

What is the definition of "need'? I'm not being sarcastic here, but a determination of "need," I presume, will take into account whether prices will be lower for County residents. This obviously should not be the sole consideration, but it will be a consideration. If demand exists for cheap Costco gas, opponents will need to show that the other factors outweigh the significance of the demand. Considering how hard it is to get into the all-cash 12-pump Free State at times, which presumably leads to constant polluting of people living VERY close by, I assume that Costco will be able to show at least some level of demand for the station's likely cheap gas prices. If price was not a factor, the Sunoco 100 feet from the Free State would be just as busy as the Free State. It isn't.
I think it makes sense for opponents to focus on the size of the station, not merely that it's close to homes or to a pool that's already been near the ring road for decades. If being close to homes was an issue, the 12-pump Free State (and nearby Sunoco) wouldn't be 50 feet from people's homes. On a side note, placing roadblocks against a business just because it's big is not an appropriate approach for Wheaton or any other place that supposedly supports capitalism. If a business can't compete on price, they need to compete with better service or better hospitality or some other way.

Andrea January 31, 2013 at 05:01 am

Cheap gas...REALLY? Has anyone advocating for the gas station thought about the *real* savings and compared it to the very real health and environmental implications? If not, I'll do it for you...
Costco gas in Beltsville as of today $3.30 (found here http://www.marylandgasprices.com/Costco_Gas_Stations/index.aspx) Price of Sunoco gas station on the corner of Viers Mill and University $3.45. (same site - http://www.marylandgasprices.com/GasPriceSearch.aspx) Yes, that's a $0.15 cent savings. Sounds great, right!? $3.30 x 16 gallon tank (avg size) - filled up 1x per week for 52 weeks = $2,745 $3.45 x 16 gallon tank (avg size)- filled up 1x per week for 52 weeks = $2,876 Get ready!!!! Yes, that's a difference of $125 Per YEAR! Oops...sorry I forgot to add the minimum $50 Costco membership fee. Hummm....now you've only saved $75 PER YEAR. Right, but I know that your $6.25 per month will be spent on REALLY important things that are TOTALLY needed....nothing so tedious like clean air (benzene is a known carcinogen after all), healthy communities (or do you prefer contaminated ground water?), and safe children (the average age for our area is 38.6 years old). I'm sure your $6.25 per month will be more than enough to pay all of the increased health costs for the unfortunate kids (yes, mine included) living near Montgomery County's LARGEST gas station. How do you feel about that cheap gas now? I hope you'll rethink your position.

Andrea January 31, 2013 at 05:13 am

I'd like to also reply to the question of need. If this gas station were a regular gas station would there be a HUGE outcry that we need yet another one in an already gas station dense area?? Absolutely NOT! The only reason people want the Costco gas is because of the price. There is NO NEED for another gas station in Wheaton. There is a want cheap gas but there is no NEED for cheap gas. Refer to my $6.25 per month savings explained above. Please people...get some common sense. There is no God given right to cheap gas but I do believe that babies and children with disabilities should be able to have faith that we, citizens of Montgomery County, will do the right thing and prohibit a MEGA gas station from being placed so close to their homes, schools, and community pool.
And for all of those who are still in dire straights for cheap gas...you'll save way more than $0.15 per gallon if you do your grocery shopping at Giant or Safeway, get yourself a membership card for FREE and fill up with the (depending on how much you spend) potentially HUGE (10 - 80 cents or more) discount they provide.

Commentous January 31, 2013 at 11:35 am

Andrea--My point was not to enrage you or support the gas station. Price has always been a factor in determining "need." I wanted to make sure that point was understood so rational arguments could be made to offset it.

ED January 31, 2013 at 03:29 pm

According to the zoning code, under the Special Exception section, "Neighborhood Need" states: "the following special exceptions may only be granted when the Board, the Hearing Examiner, or the District Council, as the case may be, finds from a preponderance of the evidence of record that a need exists for the proposed use to serve the population in the general neighborhood, considering the present availability of identical or similar uses to that neighborhood:
(1) Automobile filling station." I don't think price comes into this, it is whether the "neighborhood" needs this service. Personally, I don't think the Wheaton neighborhood, no matter how you define it, has a "need" for this service.

Asc January 31, 2013 at 10:54 pm

What are the construction issues? I work at the Mall and in the last 4 months I have not seen any construction workers or any people working at Costco ! ( I have not seen any utility/construction company vehicles parked in any of the adjoining lots)if there were any construction issues they sure have not been addressed until today.
So the reason for the delay in opening might be something else !!!

Michael Carmel February 1, 2013 at 06:47 pm

I want to gas pumps... that will be one way to drive down the price of gasoline in the Socialist County of Montgomery downwards.

KatieSilverSpring February 2, 2013 at 12:40 pm

Concrete pours did not meet county standards

Ktown mom February 2, 2013 at 05:09 pm

Thanks for reminding us about how close the Freestate is. Considering it was built decades ago it shows important site selection for gas stations is. I think it is unlikely that one would choose to put it within 50 feet of homes now. Also, the nearby homes aren't the only concern to the proposed Costco gas station. The Stephen Knollls school for disabled and medically fragile public school students has been located at its site for decades also. I implore the County Zoning officials to consider the Steven Knolls families and students while making this very inportant decision.

justinaab February 3, 2013 at 11:01 am

I have lived in the area when there was a Shell gas station where the Wendy's is and where the proposed station is to be , a Ward's automotive center with it's gas oil and fumes was situated. Yes walking to and from the mall as a teen you could always smell the fumes from either Ward's or the Shell . Stephen K school was open back then at it's present site .

justinaab February 3, 2013 at 11:13 am

I still on occasion walk to the mall past Stephen K school . I have concerns with the safety of anyone crossing the path from the crosswalks by Stephen K across the lanes when Costco opens . MUCH more traffic and inevitably drivers that are in a hurry . I believe they need to put up a crossing signal in this area . It would be safer for the children and teachers crossing to the mall and all other pedestrians .

L.W. February 3, 2013 at 01:19 pm

Or...maybe, the delay had nothing to do with concrete. I know Jeffrey Ishida denied that the delay had anything to do with the station, but it seems awfully coincidental to me that the April 12th opening date is more than two weeks after the deadline for the submission of rebuttal materials to the hearing examiner before he makes his ruling on the special exception. If traffic in and out of the mall is actually worse than their studies indicate, I suspect that could sink Costco’s special exception application.

Danila Sheveiko February 4, 2013 at 04:50 pm

Dear EB3, I urge you to take a look at the graphics uploaded above - maybe they will change your mind on the gas station's location. If that is not enough, please visit www.stopcostcogas.org for a lengthy explanation of why it is a bad idea to site the busiest gas station in the County a 125 ft from homes, next to an outdoor swimming club, a metro, and a school for medically fragile children with special needs, including oxygen tanks and mechanical ventillators.

Danila Sheveiko February 4, 2013 at 05:03 pm

Dear Commentous, price cannot possibly be a factor in determining neighborhood need for a regional facility, especially with the few puny cents per gallon we are talking about here. Using your approach, any facility can be justified anywhere. For example, the DC metropolitan area generates lots of toxic and radioactive materials, and there is a market need to safely store them some place for 10,000 years or more. According to your reasoning, instead of shipping them all the way to Yucca Mountain or whatever, it would be much cheaper to dump it all in Wheaton. Right?

Commentous February 4, 2013 at 06:31 pm

Danila--Your statement actually makes my point (in a histrionic way, of course). You say that price is not a factor and then say that it's not a factor because the difference in price is small. The argument you're making is that if price is a consideration, there is already a significant availability of low-cost gasoline. Also, you make the absurd assumption that the disposal of toxic waste is equivalent to having a large gas station near your home. Thanks for attributing a statement to me that I didn't and wouldn't make. I appreciate your false analogies.
As I've said before, I'm not for the gas station. In fact, I'm more against it than for it. My reason, though, is primarily for the sake of the children at Stephen Knolls.

Danila Sheveiko February 4, 2013 at 06:44 pm

Dear Commentous, please check out the images uploaded above, specifically the health risk curve, charted just for cancer risk, just from benzene, for a gas station at least three times less large than Costco mega gas, which shows that the adjacent single-family residences could have their cancer risk increase 60-fold. How is this "absurd?" Please explain.

Bert February 4, 2013 at 07:33 pm

I can't wait for the costco to open. We belonged to one in Gaithersburg, but then it became a hassle to drive there when my company moved.

Dawn Aero February 13, 2013 at 03:53 pm

So your answer is to let's use more gas and drive around to find the smaller stations. The whole idea of a mega pump station is to service cars quickly. I personally drive a plug in, so my gas needs are almost nil, but this back and forth is folly. Personally attacking Mr. Paine (or whatever his name is- and who cares) is horrible. He makes some intelligent points. BTW, I live 2 miles away. It would seem to me the reason we have such bad air, is we are a large city. If you are so concerned about air quality invest in solar panels and plug in cars. This is so NIMBY.

Danila Sheveiko February 13, 2013 at 04:33 pm

Dear Dawn Aero: Who is attacking Mr. Paine? We have been patiently discussing the issue with Mr Paine, all the while he is calling people "ridiculous."
Your other attack is off base as well. From the very beginning we said that we don't object to Costco gas - it is a good business model that started in industrial parks and next to highway interchanges back in the 1990s. As they now enter denser suburban and urban neighborhoods like ours, all we are asking for is to do so responsibly. Is that really too much to ask in your view?

Dawn Aero February 13, 2013 at 05:25 pm

Not going to even get into this with you as you have already made up your mind and just can't see it. Your comment on radioactive waste through was a hoot! For someone so informed, I'm suprised you didn't know Yucca is not on the table, another NIMBY.

Danila Sheveiko February 13, 2013 at 05:37 pm

Dear Dawn Aero: If you truly have an open mind on this, like you claim, I urge to check out the details on air quality and health at www.stopcostcogas.org. Let us know if your mind has changed afterwards!

Dawn Aero February 14, 2013 at 01:26 am

I work in the environmental area and most of these "facts" don't pass the laugh test. Sadly, it's a proven fact the majority of Americans don't even believe in climate change- voodoo science, just ask Sen. Inhoff who is only one among many. But unless you bite the bullet and pay a lot more for a vehicle and the power to run it (plug in) and then want to pay double for the electricity for it to be renewable you aren't putting your money where your mouth is. Just say no never works. Most of your indicated website's concerns could be said for the mall in general- which has been there for decades.

Ktown mom February 15, 2013 at 05:23 pm

Rather than NIMBY, I consider it to be NBTSFDK, not by the school for disabled kids. The gas station may make sense, just not in this location, near a public school for students with special needs, includimg some that are medically fragile and on oxygen.

Esther French (Editor) February 19, 2013 at 03:13 pm

Update: Costco has changed its opening date http://patch.com/A-2cRZ

Noreen Carroll March 7, 2013 at 07:24 pm

Like millions of other people who grew up in the northeast, I find this fear of contamination incredibly funny....except that it's so pathetic. As a child, the river that ran through our town never froze because of chemical waste, and we managed to survive and thrive. I run a 1000 acre+ no-till 100% organic farm and what occurs naturally in soils is little different than the potential threat of a gas station. Yes, your organic food contains levels of lead, arsenic and a host of other contaminants -- they exist naturally in the earth. "Caring" so much for your children may do more harm than good; allergies, asthma, and wicked bacterial infections in this country have risen dramatically as we scrub, bleach and decontaminate every possible surface.