John Jinkins
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On the Blog Post Costco's Mega Gas Station "Need Study" Tallies Potential Sales but Ignores Impacts on Wheaton
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On the Blog Post Costco's Mega Gas Station "Need Study" Tallies Potential Sales but Ignores Impacts on Wheaton
John Jinkins
5:56 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
Hi Danielle,
For Montgomery County to allow Costco to build its mega station at Wheaton Plaza, Costco must prove that there is a need "in the general neighborhood, considering the present availability of identical or similar uses to that neighborhood." Take a drive around Wheaton and you'll find no dearth of gas stations.
Costco attempts to evade the problem by proposing very expansive boundaries for the general Wheaton neighborhood. You're confused a bit about how Costco is attempting to define Wheaton, so let's go over Costco's definition:
* Costco says unambiguously on p. 2-1 that it's "an area of approximately 15 square miles" emanating from Wheaton Plaza.
* Costco says the general Wheaton neighborhood encompasses North Silver Spring, including the Fillmore and AFI, two institutions I wish were in Wheaton, they are the type of development that we really need. Costco goes on to include Four Corners, Glenmont, and Kensington in the general Wheaton Neighborhood.
* You correctly noted that Costco claims (dubiously) that everywhere within the 15 square mile "general neighborhood" will be within a seven minute drive of the mega station. Given the number of lights involved I think it'll take you more than seven minutes just to get onto northbound Georgia Avenue after you leave that corner of the Mall.No need to try to discount this study, it discounted itself.
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On the article Who is Wheaton's Person of the Year?
John Jinkins
10:04 pm on Monday, December 31, 2012
ReplyI nominate Sunil Maximus Martinus for reopening the Royal Mile Pub in March. What a great gift to Wheaton.
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On the Blog Post Inform Yourself About Costco's Push for a Mega Gas Station at Wheaton Plaza
John Jinkins
7:15 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
That's great news Anton,
Montgomery County will go through a complex decision process as it decides whether or not to grant Costco a zoning exception. Maybe here in Patch we can discuss other ways besides becoming a Party of Record that citizens can interact with and influence that process.
John Jinkins
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On the Blog Post Inform Yourself About Costco's Push for a Mega Gas Station at Wheaton Plaza
John Jinkins
6:54 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Hi Timothy,
Land that is within easy walking distance of the Wheaton Metro and that can still be developed is a scarce and diminishing resource. We should not tie up those kinds of parcels with uses that don't benefit whatsoever from their Metro accessibility. No one will ever be able to ride the Red Line up to Wheaton with an empty gas can, fill it up at Costco's mega gas station, and then ride back with it on the Metro to Capitol Hill or Glenmont. But if there were some good restaurants at that site or a theater, maybe even townhouses, the easy access to the Metro would become an asset to those businesses or residences.
Besides being close to the Metro, the site where Costco would like to put the station is extraordinarily well situated for walking to the Red Line and downtown Wheaton. One pedestrian pathway is to enter Wheaton Plaza to the north of the site and then use the two existing pedestrian bridges to get to the Metro. Pedestrians can make that entire trip without having to cross a street. It would be even better if the Mall installed a covered pathway down to the site. These wonderful possibilities will be blocked for many years if Costco is able to get the zoning exception it wants.
John Jinkins
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On the event Night & Day Trio at Wheaton's Royal Mile Pub
John Jinkins
5:37 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
ReplyThe Night & Day Trio performing at the Royal Mile Pub will be a combination of atmosphere, music, and food that I don't believe will be surpassed anywhere in the DC area this Saturday night. Here's a Wheaton Patch article that discusses Chef Billerd's changes to the menu:
I can personally recomend the Pesto Cod, Seared Salmon and Fish and Chips though I often go for the weekend specials. If you're in the mood for a local brew consider a Clipper City Loose Cannon on tap from Baltimore. I'd describe it as very hoppy and quite strong.
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On the article Reader's Choice: Royal Mile Pub
John Jinkins
5:08 pm on Friday, March 16, 2012
ReplyA nice recognition for the Royal Mile which has provided years of service to the Wheaton community. And beyond that Wheatonians are the big winners because they have two endearing neighborhood establishments to patronize -- the Mile and the Limerick -- that are within a few feet of each other. I hope the Mile can continue to be a venue for live bands, they and the Limerick have brought a lot of good music to Wheaton.
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On the article Readers' Choice: Best Place to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
John Jinkins
8:06 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
ReplyWheatonians are doubly fortunate this St. Patrick's day to be once again able to trod the Royal Mile and by taking a few more steps also patronize the Limerick. My family plans to be at the Mile but I hope to stop by for a bit at the Limerick also.
Bubba you ask why a Scottish bar on St. Patrick's? It could well be that St. Patrick was born in . . . Scotland (or Wales or Roman Britain). History is murky on that point and we're only sure that he first arrived in Ireland as a slave. It is of course clear that St. Patrick's great ecclesiastical triumphs took place in Ireland.
Should be a memorable St. Patrick's day in Wheaton, it's a privilege for us to have these two neighborhood establishments and we should do everything we can to make them both thrive. Be safe and enjoy.
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On the article Wheaton Patch Editor Traveling to Europe
John Jinkins
9:06 am on Thursday, March 8, 2012
ReplyEsther, what's the best way to contact Ben in your absence?
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On the article An Editor's Farewell
John Jinkins
10:09 am on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
ReplyTaylor, under your tenure Wheaton Patch has developed into a great asset for the community. You'll be missed.
Best of luck in your new position, I'm sure we will be seeing good things from you.
John Jinkins
John Jinkins
8:42 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
L.W. thanks for providing that important information.
Costco is an innovative retailer and assuredly has staff with the business acumen to tailor a business plan to conditions in Wheaton. We are not a community on the side of a freeway but a community with a Red Line metro stop at its core, just eight stops away from Capitol Hill.
The Wheaton community's vision of Wheaton's needs should trump any one dimensional study produced by Costco's hired guns and I believe Montgomery County will make that happen.