Councilmembers to Speak Out Against Mega-Gas Stations

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 in Rockville. 

Montgomery County Councilmembers Marc Elrich (At-large), Valerie Ervin (District 5) and Nancy Navarro (District 4) are all sponsors of a  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 hospital, or other public use, or any use categorized as a cultural, entertainment and recreation use”--an impossibiliity with the current siting of the proposed Costco gas station in Wheaton.

The special exception process for the Costco gas station

While the councilmembers will focus their remarks on the zoning text amendment, the Kensington Heights Civic Association will introduce an environmental expert who it says has taken a critical look at the health risks related to air quality around the gas station. Henry S. Cole is a former Environmental Protection Agency chief of Air Quality Model Application Section.

, to examine potential cancer risks associated with the gas station's projected effect on air quality.

A public hearing on the ZTA is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on June 19.