Thursday, February 21, 2013
Environmental and site design experts answered questions about plans and studies that the Montgomery County Planning Department found fault with earlier this month.
Costco's open house Wednesday night in Kensington was a familiar set-up. Just as it did last April, Costco brought in consultants to stand behind tables and answer community members' questions about the gas station the major retailer wants to build in Wheaton. Whether Costco will be able to apply for a building permit is a question ultimately for the Montgomery County Board of Appeals. But first the county's Planning Board will weigh Costco's special exception application on Feb. 28, taking into consideration a negative review by the Planning Department. The Costco store in Wheaton is set to open April 10--after the special exception hearings in March. Not much seems to have changed since the previous open house, except that Costco has …
Friday, December 14, 2012
You can get on the county's mailing list to receive updates on Costco’s application, such as hearing date changes, by becoming a "Party of Record."
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The Stop Costco Gas Coalition is concerned that the special exception hearing will be too soon for the group to present a strong response to Costco's application.
Opponents of the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton have written two letters to the Board of Appeals for Montgomery County, requesting a delay of the hearing for Costco's new special exception application. The Board of Appeals has issued a notice that the hearing is scheduled for March 11, 15, 18, and 22 at 9:30 a.m. in the Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, Second Floor Davidson Memorial Hearing Room, at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. (See PDF attached to this article.) The Stop Costco Gas Coalition is worried that there will not be enough time to review Costco's special exception materials and express concerns to the Planning Department (which will review the special exception and give a report to the Board of …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Montgomery County councilmembers join Kensington Heights representatives to denounce the proposed siting of the Costco gas station in Wheaton as a public health hazard.
This article was corrected on May 11. Please see the end of the article for more details. Opponents of the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton say the environmental studies commissioned by Costco are flawed. Three Montgomery County councilmembers joined representatives from the Kensington Heights Civic Association outside the council building in Rockville Thursday morning to speak about the impact of mega gas stations and the reasons why the Costco gas station should not be sited next to the Kensington Heights neighborhood. Montgomery County Councilmembers Marc Elrich (At-large), Valerie Ervin (District 5) and Nancy Navarro (District 4) are all sponsors of a zoning text amendment introduced in April that would prohibit large …
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The introduction of a zoning text amendment directed toward large gas stations is what precipitated this fourth postponement.
A recently introduced zoning text amendment in the Montgomery County Council has disrupted the special exception process for the proposed Costco gas station at Westfield Wheaton. The Montgomery County Board of Appeals has postponed four scheduled days of hearings in June before the Hearing Examiner, although not for the reasons put forth by the Kensington Heights Civic Association and its coalition. Both sides (Costco and the Kensington community groups) must propose new dates by May 12. The scheduled May 17 hearing for the special exception before the Montgomery County Planning Board has also been indefinitely postponed. The KHCA filed a motion for continuance, claiming that Costco did not follow legal procedures in revising its …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Costco members in the greater Silver Spring area received a mailing asking for their support of the proposed Costco gas station in Wheaton.
Two weeks ago, Costco held a community open house to make the case for the proposed gas station at Westfield Wheaton, a gas station that the majority of residents in the adjacent Kensington Heights neighborhood adamantly oppose. Costco followed up on that community outreach effort with a mailing dated April 24, that reached some homes of local Costco members Thursday evening. The letter, which does not mention the Kensington Heights neighborhood, is attached to this article in PDF form. [Get daily and breaking news email updates by signing up for free newsletters from Wheaton Patch.] In the letter, Costco asks its members to demonstrate their support for the gas station in two ways: by attending the Planning Board's public hearing on May …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Traffic, noise and pollution among major concerns.
Approximately 75 people attended a Wednesday evening meeting at the Stephen Knolls School where Montgomery County, Westfield and Costco officials provided an update on the development of the Costco project at Westfield mall. The meeting was required of Westfield in order to receive $4 million in economic development funding from Montgomery County slated for the Costco project. Representatives of every part of the development process gave presentations aimed at alleviating the community’s concerns over a variety of issues, including traffic, noise, pollution, aesthetics, pedestrian walkways and the possibility of a diminished quality of life. Clive Mackenzie, Westfield’s regional vice president, gave an overview of the $60 million …
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The project's county funding hinges on hearing the community's concerns.
Representatives from Westfield and Costco will meet with residents tonight to discuss the community's concerns with the incoming big-box store at the Wheaton mall. The public meeting, featuring members of the Kensington Heights and Kensington View civic associations, starts at 7:30 p.m. at Stephen Knolls School in Wheaton. The county has committed a total of $4 million to the Costco project, but that funding is contingent upon the company hosting this meeting. The Council's resolution mandates that the meeting address the store's loading dock, delivery truck issues, traffic flow, pedestrian access, building elevations, storm-water management and the now-postponed gas station. Adam Rosenbaum, vice president of KHCA, said in an e-mail to …
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
No public outreach meeting date set as of now.
Kensington Heights Civic Association is preparing in a meeting this week to bring their concerns to Costco and Westfield, as well as the Montgomery County, about the new Costco store on the south side of the mall. Costco indefinitely postponed the special exception on the gas station July. At the same time the company plans to go forward with a ground breaking sometime late this month or in early September. Now that the gas station is currently off the table, the John Jenkins, a member of the Kensington Heights Civic Association said they will be discussing issues related to the project including stormwater, traffic, and the project's impact on walkability in the neighborhood. The meeting (or multiple meetings), have not been …
Monday, July 11, 2011
Empty lot has a initial application, but no word from developer since February.
In a neighborhood with quiet streets, single-family homes and a few new townhouses, it's entirely out of place - a thin empty lot on McComas Avenue, between two streets with a hill in the center, covered by high grass. Mount McComas, as some neighbors call it, is owned and planned to be developed on by Kensington Heights 2, LLC. It's the same company that's building townhomes on University Boulevard, next to the mall entrance. A preliminary plan, submitted on February 3, 2011, shows three single-family detached homes and 11 attached townhouses in three sets. The planner assigned to this proposed development, Patrick Butler, said he has not heard anything further from the developer. "I’m gearing up to take several plans to the Board prior …
Jim Core
9:42 pm on Sunday, February 24, 2013
Taxes are not a County issue. The taxes are State taxes. There are no local sales taxes in the State of Maryland. The real problem is that this station is a monstrosity which is going to pump 10 to 12 times that of a normal station. The regulations on the books were designed for much smaller stations. The regs have not caught up with the science. These mega stations are a game changer that … more ›