Friday, November 2, 2012
Costco has restarted the special exception process.
Opponents of the Costco gas station in Wheaton have formed a new umbrella group, separate from the Kensington Heights Civic Association, and are calling it The Stop Costco Gas Coalition. Costco has restarted the special exception process for the gas station at Westfield Wheaton, but the new plans shift the gas station location so that it complies with the zoning text amendment passed by the Montgomery County Council this summer. For background on the Costco gas station issue and Zoning Text Amendment 12-07, see Wheaton Patch's topics page. The new location is east of the original proposed location, but remains in the mall parking lot that borders the Kensington Heights neighborhood. Cavan Wilk, a contributor to Greater Greater Washington…
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Despite the Montgomery County Council's unanimous decision to restrict 'mega' gas stations, it is still unclear how Costco will be affected.
The Montgomery County Council passed stricter regulations for "mega" gas stations yesterday, but how exactly those changes will affect Costco’s plans for a gas station at Westfield Wheaton remains to be seen. Zoning Text Amendment 12-07, which received unanimous approval, requires a 300-foot buffer separating gas stations that dispense more than 3.6 million gallons a year from schools, parks, playgrounds, day care centers and other outdoor facilities. The Costco gas station is projected to pump 12 million gallons a year. Jeff Ishida, vice president of real estate for Costco’s East Coast Division, said that Costco’s special exception application “does not comply with the ZTA as approved,” and that Costco will need to re-submit its paperwork…
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
But a last-minute change means a proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton Mall is still in limbo.
All nine Montgomery County council members voted Tuesday afternoon to establish a 300-foot buffer between large gas stations in the county and community spaces such as parks, schools and pools. But the vote left unclear what was on everyone's minds: whether Costco would be able to build its proposed gas station at Westfield Wheaton. Councilmember Marc Elrich, the lead sponsor of Zoning Text Amendment 12-07, made a key last-minute change to the bill, reducing the buffer zone from 1,000 feet to 300 feet, in order to gain the necessary votes for passage. "They would have beat me yesterday, 5-4," Elrich said afterward. The ZTA applies to gas stations that dispense more than 3.6 million gallons per year. Costco, which has been at the center of …
Legislation that the County Executive's Office of the Attorney has deemed unconstitutional will come to a vote at the Montgomery County Council's Tuesday afternoon session.
The Montgomery County Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday afternoon on ZTA 12-07, a controversial bill that if approved would block the construction of a proposed Costco gas station in Wheaton. Last week, the County Executive's Office of the Attorney issued an opinion stating the ZTA is not legal because it targets one specific business. Zoning Text Amendment 12-07 would prevent gas stations that dispense more than 3.6 million gallons per year from being located within 1,000 feet of "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.” If the ZTA passes, Costco will not be able to build its proposed 16-pump gas station at …
Friday, July 20, 2012
The county executive office's legal team released a memo in which they determine that the proposed zoning text amendment affecting gas stations is not legal.
The Montgomery County Executive's legal team concluded this week that Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 12-07, which would have directly impacted Wheaton’s proposed Costco gas station, is not legal. The zoning amendment would have required any gas station that processes more than $3.6 million gallons of fuel per year be located “at least 1,000 feet from 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.” The proposed Costco gas station would be located 300 feet from the Kenmont Swim and Tennis Club and is the only gas station that would be directly affected if the zoning amendment passed. Read the full PDF of the decision to the …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Kensington Heights Civic Association shared some of its correspondence with the Maryland Department of the Environment at a news conference Monday.
Frustrated with what they perceive as a non-responsive county government, opponents of the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton are trying to convince state and federal authorities to support their case: That a gas station located so close to a community is a serious public health hazard. “The county doesn’t want to know,” said Larry Silverman, who teaches environmental law at Johns Hopkins University and has been advising the Kensington Heights Civic Association. “They think the way to win is to keep themselves ignorant.” Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has come out against a zoning text amendment that would make it impossible for Costo to site its 16-pump gas station next to the Kensington Heights neighborhood. …
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
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 accused the bill’s sponsors of unfairly targeting Costco, which would be unable to build its proposed gas station at Westfield Wheaton if ZTA 12-07 passes. This week, Councilmember Marc Elrich, who introduced the bill in April, 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. Follow Wheaton Patch on Facebook and Twitter. The bill’s …
39.08212
-77.15116
Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Ave, Rockville, MD
/articles/costco-gas-station-bill-struggles-along
384343
/locations/7401256
Monday, July 9, 2012
In a memo to the Montgomery County Council, the county executive expressed his opposition to Zoning Text Amendment 12-07.
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett is siding with Costco in a zoning debate over whether the discount store should be permitted to place a gas station at Westfield Wheaton. In a memo last week to county councilmembers, Leggett said that he opposes Zoning Text Amendment 12-07, which would restrict where "mega" gas stations could be built in the county. If the ZTA passes the County Council, Costco would not be permitted to build its proposed gas station. Follow Wheaton Patch on Facebook and Twitter. The ZTA would prohibit gas stations that dispense more than 3.6 million gallons from sites within 1,000 feet of "any public or private school, or any park, playground, or hospital, or other public use, or any use categorized as a cultural…
Friday, July 6, 2012
The Montgomery County Council's PHED committee will discuss ZTA 12-07 on Monday.
The Montgomery County Council is set to discuss a proposed rule change on Monday for where large gas stations can be built. Last month, the Council heard from the community at a public hearing. If the rule change is approved, Costco will not be able to build its proposed gas station at Westfield Wheaton. The Council's Planning, Housing, and Economic Development committee will hold a work session on the change, known as ZTA 12-07, at 2 p.m. in Rockville. The meeting will be televised live on County Cable Montgomery. The ZTA would prevent gas stations that dispense more than 3.6 million gallons per year from being located within 1,000 feet of "any public or private school, or any park, playground, or hospital, or other public use, or any use…
Monday, June 25, 2012
Are Wheaton and Kensington residents saving money when they drive to the Costco in Beltsville to buy gas?
Several of the Montgomery County residents who testified at a public hearing last week in support of a proposed Costco gas station in Wheaton mentioned that they currently go to the Beltsville Costco to purchase cheap gas, and so they would benefit from a Costco station closer to home. How cost-effective is it to go to the Beltsville Costco for gas instead of buying fuel at a local (non-Costco) gas station in the Wheaton area? David Becker, a Kensington resident, raised this question and shared some financial calculations in the comments section of a recent blog post on Patch about the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton. Based upon real time data, the cost of going to CostCo in Beltsville is higher than purchasing it in …
Frank
9:17 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
"That global stuff"? Jeez, Joe. Turn of the radio and inform yourself. You sound incredibly ignorant when you write stuff like that. more ›