Planning commission recommends Costco site and member‑only fueling station at Jefferson Avenue

The Newport News City Planning Commission on May 21 recommended City Council approve conditional use permit CU20250003 to allow a Costco warehouse and an automobile gasoline supply station on a 20.23‑acre portion of the former Ferguson Enterprises property along Jefferson Avenue.

City planner Saul told commissioners the site is zoned M‑1 (light industrial), which allows a wholesale retail warehouse by right but requires a conditional use permit for an automobile gasoline supply station. Staff recommended approval with conditions that include submission of a Class 1 site plan, a tree survey and a 20‑foot transitional buffer, a 16‑foot landscape strip along Jefferson Avenue and a 12‑foot strip along Bland Boulevard, and completion of required off‑site traffic improvements before a certificate of occupancy is issued. The Department of Engineering and the Virginia Department of Transportation reviewed and concurred with the project’s traffic impact analysis, Saul said.

Lindsay Carney, an attorney for the applicant, said Costco plans a 163,000‑square‑foot warehouse, 828 parking spaces dedicated to the store and a fueling canopy with 16 pump islands (32 fueling positions) and on‑site queuing capacity for more than 70 vehicles. Carney said the pumps will be for Costco members only and that Costco is purchasing the land and existing buildings from Ferguson. “This site will enable all of those services to be enhanced for the customers,” Carney said, noting the new location is larger than Costco’s existing leased store in the area.

Carney and the project team described off‑site improvements intended to mitigate added traffic: extension of southbound left‑turn lanes on Jefferson at Bland Boulevard from 200 feet to 350 feet, a new left‑turn lane and signal at Boykin Drive (the main entry), widened storage tapers at site entrances, an extended pedestrian refuge across Jefferson Avenue, and associated signal timing changes. The applicant’s traffic study, prepared by Kittelson & Associates, was accepted by city traffic staff and VDOT, presenters said.

Commissioners asked whether on‑site queuing could spill onto Jefferson; Saul replied that queuing would be contained within the parking lot and would not spill onto the public street. Commissioners also asked about the Denbigh Boulevard interchange; staff confirmed design work is underway to address northbound movements and that engineering staff are coordinating with VDOT.

Saul said staff will require submittal and approval of final building elevations and exterior materials, supplemental landscaping and screening near the Jefferson/Bland corner, and that all traffic improvements be completed prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy. If approved by council, the ordinance will include the staff conditions.

By roll call the commission voted 9–0 to recommend approval; the matter will be heard by City Council in June 2025.

The planning commission’s motion and staff report note that the CUP applies only to the 20.23‑acre parcel to be redeveloped for Costco; two remaining parcels (about 12 acres) on the Ferguson campus will be held for future sale and are not part of the CUP.