Each day of hearings will cost the community thousands in legal & expert fees, expenses, etc. In our fourth year of fighting this boondoggle, I wonder how much this project is costing the County.

This delay could be beneficial. I hope that:

a. Mr. Leggett, who recently "saw the light" about the Brickyard issue, will come to see the light about the gas station. He should use his good offices to convince Costco to open the store and forget about the gas station - i.e. withdraw S-2863.
b. The Board of Education will stop avoiding the issue and make some sort of statement about the potential health risks to kids at Stephen Knolls School.

It's not too late for Costco to show they care for Kensington Heights; the Children of Stephen Knolls School for the Disabled; the Children swimming at The Kenmont Pool; the Children and their families living along the perimeter of Wheaton Plaza and all over in the Kensington Heights Community! The way Costco could show they care is: by withdrawing their plan and intentions to build a Mega Gas Station at Wheaton Plaza!

I am still sadded that Costco, which bills itself as an enlightened retailer -- carrying enyzme disahwasher soap, etc., does not seem to care about the disabled children and families that are so close to this gas station. I can only hope that they will use this time to come to thier senses. Why is it imporatnt to only sell ecofriendly dishwasher soap, and not important to care about your impact on kids and families?

Costco may be one of the largest companies in the US but Montgomery County is one of the best educated. I believe that the planning board and other county representatives will be able to make the right decision to protect families, school children and the whole Wheaton community and reject Costco's petition for a gas station.

The joke is that residents object to air pollution from gas station but it won't even be noticeable compared to the exhaust from cars at the mall after Costco opens nobody knows the mobile source emission levels. There is no data. Just guesses and fear. But if the gas station threatens children's health, it is very likely mall traffic ALREADY threatens children's health. So close the school and build the gas station because the mall isn't going to go away. Residents around the mall knew it was there when they moved in.

No, the real joke is that in a few weeks the more expensive gas gets the same people complaining about the Costco gas station will be complaining about the price of gas.

Mr. CDT2, air pollution is no joke. Lung cancer is now a leading cause of death in China because of the poor air quality. Fortunately we have better regulations in the US BUT that doesn't mean our air is perfect. In fact, the Washington DC area has some of the worst air quality in the country. But Wheaton is taking a step in the right direction by building around mass transit and reducing dependence on cars.

You say, "there is no data." But in fact there is lots of data from many sources including the CDC, NIH, etc. AND the the most recent scientific studies show that we should be extremely concerned about the placement of a mega gas station.

"Residents around the mall knew it was there when they moved in" - Are you trying to say that Wheaton Plaza is the same mall today that it was 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago? I would beg to differ.

I moved into the neighborhood just two years ago and there was no Costco or Dick's but I have lived near Wheaton almost my entire life and remember when Wheaton Plaza was an outdoor shopping area with Farrell's and the Orange Bowl. I worked at the American Eagle Outfitters and shopped at the Gap in the 90s.

The irony is that the Wheaton Plaza of 30 years ago is actually more in line with today's growing push for a town center instead of malls. I wish we could go back in time but we can't. So we must make decisions that future Wheaton's smart growth not worsen the area.

It seems the only reason anyone wants a Costco mega gas station (really, a regional fuel depot) is because it will supposedly provide "cheap gas." I personally conducted a month-long gas price study in 2012 that compared Costco gas prices at several MD and VA sites with the gas prices near each of those Costco stations and also compared those prices with Wheaton-Ken.-area prices (at the cheaper stations), and guess what -- Costco gas is not always cheaper! And when it was, it's only less expensive by a couple of cents!! So all the pro-gas station folks are willing to make their stand on saving maybe 2c per gallon, sometimes??? Wow. I hope YOUR neighborhood is never threatened by a proposal with such a slim economic underpinning and such significant potential for harm....

I'm happy the hearings are postponed until after the Costco opening. I think the residents of Wheaton will be up for a rude awakening when they see the traffic for Costco. If the Costco will bring in 4,000-5,000 customers per day (per Westfield's estimates a couple of years ago), how many more cars will they bring in if a mega-gas station is offered? I can only hope that someone has a camera when Costco opens and takes the pictures to the hearings.

I hope the gas station opens and don't believe be alleged "health risks" cited by pp

Yes, area residents of Wheaton Mall (sorry have known it by that name 40+ yrs as MoCo res of Silver Spring, Rockville, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and now Wheaton) are in for a rude shock to see the traffic Costco, sans gas station, will generate!

If anyone is interested in video documentation to present at the hearings, Beltsville Costco has a gas station which would allow the videographer to see the the traffic it generates, numbers of cars, and all the while cars are ideling (sp) especially on a weekend!

I am glad there would be no gas station here. Have you seen the traffic it is causing at the Beltsville store site? This is even commercial area and still is very crowded with long lines all the way out to route 1. It would cause traffic jam in the Mall on Holidays and week ends. Even with out the Gas station will be crowded when Costco opens in a Week. You will see.