Politics & Government

Update: Costco Application Approved; Makes Concessions

The store is expected to bring in $25 million dollars to Route 1

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved last Tuesday Costco Wholesale’s application to build a 143,416 square foot warehouse on the site of the. The 12-acre site is west of Richmond Highway and north of Ladson Lane.

According to Costco, the project would bring in $25 million dollars and 250 new jobs to the Route 1 corridor.  The retail chain says it boasts some of the highest wages in the industry, with the average wage close to $20 per hour.

“Costco is a very good application and it’s going to be a good citizen of our community,” said Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland at the public hearing. Hyland is up for reelection in the fall.

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On the eve of the Board’s vote, elected officials, Costco representatives and the New Gum Springs Civic Association negotiated several changes to the retail’s chain application to address

Primarily, Costco agreed to modify its site plan to keep open the median break at the intersection of Richmond Highway and entrance into the Spring Garden Apartments. If the median break were to close, the entrance to the Spring Garden Apartments would function as a right-in/right-out entrance providing access only to the northbound traffic on Richmond Highway.

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“How much further should these residents travel along Route 1 southbound to access their homes? Why are these residents being treated like second-class citizens?” wrote New Gum Springs Civic Association president Queenie Cox in a letter to Mount Vernon elected officials before the vote.  The Virginia Department of Transportation will have the final say on whether the median stays open.

Costco also plans to pay for a study by either the Virginia or Fairfax County departments of transportation that would test the feasibility of extending Landson Lane into the Spring Garden Apartment complex.

The compromises come after Costco was criticized at a planning commission meeting for not reaching out enough to residents in the Gum Springs community about the proposed transportation changes. County staff maintained at the planning commission meeting that Costco followed protocol in regards to notifying local residents.

In its traffic impact analysis submitted to the Planning Commission, Costco analysts predicted that 737 new "peak-hour" trips on Saturday and 4,496 new daily trips on weekdays would occur after completion of the store. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, Route 1 handles about about 60,000 vehicles per day.

Delegate Scott Surovell said that while he welcomed development “to one of the most blighted properties on Route 1,” he still has concerns that the store would add more cars to an already congested Route 1.

“The Costco development is probably going to have the biggest impact on traffic in the next year,” he said.

Last Wednesday,  that the Board of Supervisors approve the project.

Under Costco’s plan, the customer entrance and loading dock would face north toward the Walmart on Richmond Highway. The store plans to include 575 parking spaces. It would be open daily.

The store would be built using sustainable materials, including all recyclable material for the exterior of the building. The retail chain says more than 70 percent of local businesses in the Mount Vernon area have a Costco membership. Greg Riegle, a representative for Costco, said the store could be open as soon as the summer of 2012.

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Previous Story: The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended Wednesday night that the Board of Supervisors approve Costco Wholesale’s application to build a store on Richmond Highway in the Gum Springs area.

Costco, the nation’s largest membership warehouse club chain, proposes to build a 143,416 square foot warehouse on the site of the.  The 12-acre site is west of Richmond Highway and north of Ladson Lane.

Locals have expressed concern the .  Costco maintains in its original submission that the development would not have a “significantly higher impact than an operational movie theater located on the same site.”

In its traffic impact analysis submitted to the Planning Commission, Costco analysts predicted that 737 new "peak-hour" trips on Saturday and 4,496 new daily trips on weekdays would occur after completion of the store. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation Route 1 handles about 60,000 vehicles per day.

In response to local criticism that Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC) will add to traffic congestion along the Route 1 corridor, the federal government 

Of the $150 million that was approved,  $145.5 will be used to widen Route 1 between Telegraph Road in Lorton and Route 235 in Mount Vernon.

At Wednesday’s public hearing before the Planning Commission, representatives from Spring Garden Apartments were also critical of the retail chain’s plan to close the existing median break at the intersection of Richmond Highway and the entrance into the apartment building.

If the median break were to close, the entrance to the Spring Garden Apartments would function as a right-in/right-out entrance providing access only to the northbound traffic on Richmond Highway.

Drivers coming from southbound Route 1 would have to make a u-turn to park in front of the building, as would those seeking to exit onto southbound Route 1.

Jube Shiver Jr., general partner for Spring Garden Apartments LLT., said that closing the median break would inconvenience bus drivers, local tenants and emergency vehicles.

“I shudder to think about how a fire truck would be able to negotiate a u-turn [to address a fire], he said Wednesday. The area is currently served by four Fairfax commuter buses in addition to the Richmond Highway Express (REX) Metrobus.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has said that closing the median in front of the 207-unit apartment building would smooth traffic flow along the highway.

Gregory Riegle, attorney for Costco Wholesale Inc. said the retail chain would be willing to work with the Virginia Department of Transportation to keep the median open.

“[We] have an absolute willingness to spend the money and roll up our sleeves to take on the 800 pound garilla  that is VDOT,” he said.

Costco says the project would invest $25 million dollars into the community and bring 250 new jobs to the Route 1 corridor. The retail chain says it boasts some of the highest wages in the industry, with the average wage close to $20 per hour. Ninety percent of its employees are eligible for benefits.

The store would be built using sustainable materials, including all recyclable material for the exterior of the building. The retail chain says over 70 percent of local businesses in the Mount Vernon area have a Costco membership.

The proposed Costco has garnered support from local civic groups, including the MVCCA Transportation Committee and the MVCCA Planning and Zoning Committee.  The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the issue on Tuesday.

Nancy Malir contributed reporting.


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