Let the Shopping Begin! Wheaton Costco Opens

After a delay of almost six months, the Wheaton Costco is open for business.

Pat Fahey, the warehouse store's general manager, cut the ribbon at the entrance at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, and a line of shoppers began streaming into the store, located in the old Hecht's location at the Westfield Wheaton mall.

County Executive Isiah Leggett, whose office had announced that he would be cutting the ribbon, arrived shortly before 8 a.m. and the ribbon-cutting was re-enacted, holding up more shoppers who appeared impatient to get inside the store.

Fahey said he decided to cut the ribbon earlier because "we have members who are waiting to shop."

Montgomery County Councilmember George Leventhal (D-At large) also came to the Costco opening.

"This is great news for Wheaton," Leventhal said. "It's going to put Wheaton on the map" and draw people to Wheaton who otherwise may not come, he said.

In 2011, the County Council approved a $4 million subsidy (to be paid over two years) for Westfield Wheaton so that it could bring Costco to the mall. 

Would Costco have come to Wheaton without that $4 million?

"We'll never know," Leventhal said. But, the sales tax and the income tax revenue that the county will see from the Wheaton Costco over the coming years will "vastly exceed the $4 million investment," he said.

Costco's originally scheduled October 2012 opening in Wheaton was delayed because of unspecified construction issues.

"It's great to get finally open," Fahey said.

The construction of Costco brought controversy, particularly with the store's plan to construct a 16-pump gas station at the Wheaton location, near a residential neighborhood, school and community swimming pool. 

Costco has been working its way through the county’s special exception process to get approval for the gas station. In the next stage of this process, eight hearings will be held on April 26, May 1, May 6, May 14, May 17, May 20, May 23 and June 4.  

The membership warehouse will be open from 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Sunday.

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