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Costco Gas Station Bill Struggles

The Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee voted Monday against supporting Zoning Text Amendment 12-07.

The future looks uncertain for a zoning text amendment that would restrict “mega” gas stations in Montgomery County.

Last week, County Executive Isiah Leggett , which would be unable to build its proposed gas station at Westfield Wheaton if ZTA 12-07 passes. This week, Councilmember Marc Elrich, , found himself outnumbered at Monday’s meeting of the county council’s Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee.


His fellow committee members, councilmembers Nancy Floreen and George Leventhal, both voted against the bill, which must still come before the full council for a final vote.

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The bill’s official co-sponsors are councilmembers Hans Riemer, Nancy Navarro, and Craig Rice. However, at the PHED committee meeting on Monday, Rice (who is not a committee member) said that his concern has shifted from the proposed Costco gas station to the air quality problems posed by the general traffic at

Another councilmember, Phil Andrews, told The Washington Post Monday that he was undecided about the bill.

Check it out: Wheaton Patch has created a page where you can see all of our Costco gas station coverage in reverse chronological order.

ED July 11, 2012 at 03:03 pm
Anyone that listened or watched this PHED committee meeting should be appalled by some of the statements that were made. If I heard it correctly - the Costco rep stated that 17% of the gas customers will shop at the Costco store, their attorney stated that 17% of the gas customers will not shop at the Costco store. Nancy Floreen stated that Wheaton will have horrendous traffic and air pollution anyway, so why not put this gas station in this area - certainly better here than the AG reserve - and George Leventhal stated that this ZTA would take the decisions out of the hands of the Board of Appeals (which it will not, it is still a Special Exception process). Craig Rice is flip-flopping. Regardless of what they have stated about Costco in Wheaton, these mega-gas stations (similar to having 10 gas stations in one spot, per Dr. Cole) need to be more regulated than a regular gas station and individulal communities should not be required to fight these proposals with antiquated zoning regulations and at a huge expense on a one-by-one basis.
Danila Sheveiko July 11, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Well said, Ed. Another tragic moment was when the County's Department of Environmental Protection claimed ignorance of existing science and guidance from EPA & MDE. Our tax dollars at work!
ED July 12, 2012 at 02:44 am
Danila - the EPA in Maryland is useless as far as I'm concerned. Years ago, I called them about the various homes with asbestos siding that were being torn down in my area without any protective coverings/plastic tarps. I was told that the asbestos laws are OSHA laws (occupational safety laws for the worker's) and have nothing to do with environmental laws. Their advise? Close your windows the next time your neighbor hires day laborers to tear the asbestos siding off of a house - the mold underneath it is far more deadly than the asbestos itself! So much for "Environmental Protection".

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Susan S. Berkheimer June 5, 2013 at 05:40 pm
Thanks for the memories of our favorite park, Hershey Park in Hershey, PA. The old wooden rollerRead More coaster was also our very favorite.There was also another favorite, much tamer Love Boat ride that went through a dark tunnel and then went up an incline and you got wet at the end of the ride. Visiting the Hershey Chocolate Factory was also a must on our trip to Hershey. We grew up in nearby York, PA.
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Susan S. Berkheimer June 5, 2013 at 06:09 pm
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