Neighbors Speak Out Against Proposed Costco Gas Station

Costco aims to include a gas station at its incoming store in Wheaton, and members of the community voiced their opposition to the project at a meeting Tuesday night, fearing the station would affect air quality and property values in the area.

About 80 people packed into the  to hear a presentation from Costco representatives and ask questions about their plans to build an eight-pump gas station on the site of the future store.

The Westfield site is not currently zoned for a gas station, and Costco is applying for a special exception from the county. The company will make its case at a hearing on Feb. 24.

Erich Brann, director of real estate development for Costco, said the proposed station would feature eight pumps, serving 16 cars at a time, and have space for up to 39 cars to queue. He estimated it would sell about 12 million gallons of gas per year, similar to the station at the Costco in Beltsville.

The station is planned for the southwest corner of the  parking lot, not far from many Kensington Heights homes.

Brann said the company will work to limit the effects of the station on the neighborhood, including constructing an eight-foot vegetated wall between the lot and the adjacent homes.

Brann also said that any storm-water runoff from the station would go through two on-site filters before being drained into the system.

But many of the residents in attendance said they were worried about the station's effects on air quality in the neighborhood.

Diane Cameron, who lives in the area and works as a conservationist with the Auduban Naturalist Society, said 39 idling cars would create a plume of carbon monoxide that would pollute the area and, after a rainstorm, create a runoff that could imperil groundwater.

Brann said Costco studied the air quality at its Sterling, Va., station — the busiest on the East Coast — and found that the pollution there was well below levels that could cause health issues.

David Sullivan, who conducted the environmental testing for Costco, said he used accepted EPA models in the studies and found that the station's air pollution concentrations would be 10 times lower than the EPA's standards for carbon monoxide emissions.

Many attendees, including Del. Al Carr, asked if Costco could locate the station elsewhere — either away from homes on another part of the Westfield site or across the street.

Brann said Costco looked at numerous options for the station, but that other portions of the Westfield parking lot are either unavailable or too steep to house a gas station. He also said Costco prefers not to locate stations across the street from stores because that can hamper the company's ability to respond to an emergency.

One attendee, Bruce Shulman of Kemp Mill, said he's in favor of the station and that, with the exception of people who live in Kensington Heights, he hasn't talked to a single person in Wheaton who doesn't want it.

Shulman's comments were met with jeers from the crowd, and most of the attendees who spoke said the station would degrade the area and discourage walking in what is otherwise a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.

Donna Savage of the Kensington Heights Civic Association said Costco has failed to demonstrate that the station won't harm the community.

"You're asking us to trust you that nothing's going to hurt our kids, that our property values won't take a hit," she said. "You're asking us to take that risk just for your business. We don't accept that."

Larry Silverman, an environmental lawyer and member of KHCA, said the station's effect on quality of life in the area outweighs any possible economic benefit it might provide.

"You say it doesn't pose us any harm," Silverman said. "I say: prove it, because I don't think you can."

Tuesday's meeting was the second between Costco and its future neighbors, and Brann said the two sides will likely meet again before the February hearing.

Last month, representatives from Costco and Westfield , which would also include a Dick's Sporting Goods and Elevation Burger. That meeting was mandated by the County Council, which has toward construction.

The store is planned to open in 2013.