Wholesale giant Costco has turned to its list of email subscribers for help in fighting a new Montgomery County zoning proposal that would hinder the company’s plans for a gas station in Wheaton. “Costco Wholesale is excited about moving forward with a new warehouse — with a gas station — at the Westfield Wheaton Mall in Wheaton, Md. It will be the first new Costco to open in Montgomery County in 22 years,” Joe Portera, Costco’s Eastern and Canadian Divisions chief operating officer, wrote in an email to customers this week. “Unfortunately, our efforts to obtain the approvals for the gas station have hit a major roadblock: The County Council is considering legislation that would forever prohibit us from building a gas station in your area.”
The effort seems to have worked. Between Monday and Wednesday, council staff logged 434 letters and emails supporting Costco’s efforts and 22 opposed to the gas station. Staff estimate they received close to 1,000 messages on the subject this week.
Supporter John Peter, of Rockville, said the proposed regulation shows an “ant[i]-business bias,” and Gregory Gagarin, of Chevy Chase, said the county “needs more entrepreneurial spirit.” Many residents cited the benefits of discount gas, with some saying they drive to Virginia to pay less at the pump.
Opponents are concerned about the health risks of a large gas station next to a neighborhood and community pool.
“This wasn’t about Costco’s right to have a gas station,” said Councilman Marc Elrich, D-at large, lead sponsor of the regulation. “This was about their right to destroy a neighborhood.”
Some residents were upset Costco used their personal information for political gain.
The email blast was “clearly not designed to sell Costco products,” said Silver Spring resident Steven Metallo, who opposes the gas station. “I may just start ignoring their emails if they’re going to be a mixture of that type of thing and regular commercial emails.”
“Not only is the tactic of using their mailing list in this manner questionable, the misinformation contained therein is irresponsible and negates any support generated as a result,” wrote Kensington resident Gail Dalferes. “Costco is free to secure other locations to build, just not next to a school or a pool. Seems logical.”
People are upset because Costco used their email addresses for a purpose other than the one people expected when they handed over their information, said David Jacobs, consumer privacy fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, an Internet privacy advocacy group. “If Costco made it clear, and if people understood that this email was going to be used for a whole range of purposes … Costco would have had more of a claim that people should have expected this.”
Costco Director of Real Estate Development Erich Brann did not return requests for comment.
