Two Appeals Filed Against Costco Gas Station Expansion

The debate over adding more gas pumps to the Redwood City Costco store is obviously not over.

Though the Redwood City Planning Commission voted to allow Costco to expand its gas station and increase from 12 pumps to 16 in its Oct. 16 meeting, two separate appeals by two different entities have been filed against that decision.

The appeals are now scheduled to be heard by the City Council on Jan. 14.

Costco appeals reduced approval

Costco itself is one of the two appellants of the Planning Commission's decision.

Costco had originally applied to expand the gas station from 12 pumps to 20. However, due to traffic and congestion concerns, the Commissioners approved the approval for only 16 pumps. 

Costco's appeal says, in essence, the Planning Commission "did not have the authority to reduce the number to 16," said City Planning Manager Blake Lyons.

Costco is arguing that the goal of the gas station expansion is not to increase sales or attract new customers, but only to meet current high demand in a way that improves traffic and congestion by having short, faster-moving lines.

Costco representatives said, with the current 12 pumps, lines of cars queue up at the pumps, snaking through the Costco parking lot, blocking parking spaces, and leading to traffic in and out of the store's parking lot that spills into intersections.

They further argue that 20 pumps would lead to shorter lines and less wait time, while adding less than a 2.5-second delay at the intersection of Woodside and Middlefield.

At the Oct. 16 meeting, however, the Planning Commissioners all said they feared the gas station's expansion could lead to increased demand and therefore increased traffic and congestion. Several residents of the surrounding Redwood Village - which is close to Hoover School - echoed those concerns.

Local gas station owner hires lawyer to appeal expansion

Andy Saberi, owner of the local independent gas station Gas & Shop at 895 Woodside Road - three miles away from Costco - has hired a lawyer to fight any expansion of Costco's gas station at all, and is the second appellant in this case.

At the Oct. 16 meeting, Saberi's attorney, James Dombroski, argued that Costco's discounted gas prices are an example of unfair business practices, and that, if the City allows them to expand even more, the City would be "sanctioning a monopoly."

Saberi has said he is afraid he will not be able to keep his gas station afloat if Costco further lures customers away from small, independent businesses such as his with more pumps and cheaper gas.

PATCH WANTS TO KNOW - What do you think? Do you think Saberi has a case for unfair business practices, or is it all part of normal business competition? Do you think expansion of the Costco gas station to 16 or 20 pumps will improve traffic and congestion conditions, or make them worse? Tell us in the comments below.