Permits for BJ’s, Costco Gas Stations Approved in Yorktown
Required special permits for member-only gas stations at BJ’s and a proposed Costco wholesale clubs on Route 202 in Yorktown were approved Friday at a special Yorktown Town Board meeting.
Plans for each project still need to be approved by the town’s Planning Board and the state Department of Environmental Protection before they can be constructed.
“The BJ’s and Costco (gas stations) meet all the town requirements, so we agree, but it’s not a done deal yet,” said Councilman Vishnu Patel.
The BJ’s gas pumps, which will be built in the parking lot of the club near the existing exit road, also required a rezoning, which the Town Board granted.
David Steinmetz, attorney for BJ’s, said 1,000 signatures were obtained from customers of BJ’s supporting the gas pumps.
“This is a good thing for the state of the shopping center,” Steinmetz said, noting other tenants in the shopping center also welcome the gas station.
The owners of the shopping center are also planning to build a fast food restaurant in the middle of the parking lot near Dunkin Donuts.
Meanwhile, the gas pumps proposed to accompany the 151,000-square-foot Coscto on the 18.75-acre site once occupied by a motel received a mixed reaction from residents who addressed the Town Board at a meeting earlier in the week that didn’t end until 2 a.m.
Jonathan Nettelfield, a 25-year town resident, maintained the “era of big box stores is coming to an end” and predicted Costco “will suck the oxygen out of Yorktown Heights.”
However, Ann Kutter, a former Planning Board member who is the closest neighbor to the Costco property, spoke in favor of the project, citing the many road and landscaping improvements it would bring to the area.
Supervisor Michael Grace stressed Costco was adhering to the town’s regulations and was not being given any special treatment.
“I can’t deny someone in order to protect someone who exists,” said Grace, mentioning the healthy competition that would be created among Yorktown businesses. “Whether they’re big box, little box or mom and pop, they deserve the same consideration as anyone else.”
Grace and Councilman Terrence Murphy were prepared to approve Costco’s special permit Tuesday night but Councilwoman Susan Siegel asked that it be delayed until Friday so she had ample time to read material that wasn’t submitted to the board until a few minutes before the meeting.
On Monday night, the Planning Board issued a negative declaration on Costco’s plans after determining the environmental impact statement to be sufficient.
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