Costco Wants to Postpone Gas Station Hearing to May

Costco wants to postpone the hearings for the gas station special exception from late February to mid-May.

A letter sent to the Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings explains why Costco wants this postponement:

On behalf of Costco Wholesale Corporation, we respectfully request a postponement of the Zoning Hearing Examiner hearing in order to provide additional information to Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Staff, as requested by the Department of Permitting Services. Subject to the agreement of Ms. Donna Savage and Mr. John Seabreeze, we would request that the hearing be rescheduled to the following dates: May 7, 11, 14 and 18, 2012.

Patricia Harris, of the law firm which sent the letter on behalf of Costco, said she had no comment at this time. “The letter speaks for itself,” she said.

Donna Savage is the chair of the Land Use Committee for the Kensington Heights Civic Association, and John Seabreeze is the former Board of Directors President for the Kenmont Swim & Tennis Club. Both are staunch opponents of the Costco gas station.

“The worst thing we can do is celebrate,” said Danila Sheveiko of the Kensington Heights Civic Association. The KHCA has fought against the Costco gas station for two years. “We’ve been lulled into a false sense of security before,” he said.

But Sheveiko also said that the delay would give the KHCA a few more months to come up with $30,000--what he calls an “optimistic estimate” of legal costs.