COSTCO UPDATE: We win again!
Costco's Proposed Mega Gas Station Gets Rejected Again!
[Click here for the full history]
Costco has been trying since February 2010 to jam a mammoth gas station into the Westfield Wheaton mall. After a marathon 37-day hearing, Montgomery County turned them down but Costco appealed to the courts. The Circuit Court denied the appeal in December 2015 and Costco appealed again to the Court of Special Appeals. That appeal was argued in January 2017 and, on April 12, 2018, the Court handed down a 54 page opinion rejecting all of Costco's arguments.
This decision is a victory for all the dedicated people who objected, who testified, who helped raise funds...who persisted...through the more than eight years this case has been pending.
Costco is now 0-6 in its unending quest to jam a mega gas station into a completely unsuitable location. We hope they will finally say enough is enough and end this now.
Costco largely based its case on testimony from highly-paid so-called experts. But, as the court agreed, the credibility of both its air quality and traffic experts were undermined by their own glaring errors.
The bottom line was that Costco could not prove that THIS station in THIS location—within less than 900 feet from the County's most vulnerable children—would not create adverse health effects. That's what we tried to tell Costco from day one—we hope they have finally gotten the message.
Read more:
Bethesda Magazine: Costco Loses Legal Appeal in Effort To Put Large Gas Station at Wheaton Mall
The Daily Record: Md. appeals court rejects Costco gas station plan in Wheaton
The Daily Record: COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP. v. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND, et al.
WTOP: Md. court blocks Costco’s effort to build Wheaton gas station