Plans for a Costco gas station move forward in this North Bay community

Costco gas station planned for Novato

Almost five years after it was first proposed, Costco is still pursuing a long-delayed project to put a huge gasoline station at its Novato warehouse.

NOVATO, Calif. - Almost five years after it was first proposed, Costco is still pursuing a long-delayed project to put a huge gasoline station at its Novato warehouse. Costco has the money, space and commitment to do it. But will the town and townsfolk allow it?

Competitive prices

What we know:

Prices will be extremely competitive at the huge gas station, available only to Costco members.

The covered area would have 14 pumps, enough to serve 28 cars at a time. Four tanks would hold as much as nine semi-trucks full of gasoline and additives. Costco would remove 66 parking spaces.

What they're saying:

Gary Berryhill is a Costco customer who said, "Making the low-priced gas available to Costco members is a fantastic idea. Right now, we have to go all the way up to Rohnert Park and find the closest Costco gas station."

Iryna, visiting from Connecticut, says there are lots of Costcos near her. "Every single Costco has a gas station, and the public interest is enormous. There's a constant line of customers and the gas is much cheaper than the rest of the gas stations," said Costco customer Iryna.

The EV tax credit expired on September 30, already slowing down the already slow EV sales. And, with the Trump administration against EVs having any kind of credit, we may actually end up needing more gas stations than fewer of them.

While Jeremiah Mock says he doesn't know the particulars of the Novato proposal, he does know this. "I drive a hybrid and I think a lot of people are still driving hybrids. So the reality is for the next, I don't know how many years in the future, we're going to be dependent on gasoline," he said.

Why you should care:

Congestion might be a problem.

"It might create more traffic, you know, which could unbalance like, 'OK save money, but more traffic.' Time also takes money. So, if they were to balance that out, that would be great," said Costco customer Victor Trujillo. "I've seen the other gas stations at Costco and the lines can get pretty long and in the surrounding area the congestion can be a bit of a problem," said Mock.

Once the final Environmental Impact Report is certified, the already existing approval of the project can proceed. That's because this project predates a ban on new gas stations now in effect in, Novato.

Monday's statement says this: "City staff believes that this project can be constructed and operated in a manner that is environmentally responsible while also helping the City achieve its economic goals."

An all EV California by 2035 is more elusive now.

What's next:

"I think there's still gonna be a big demand for gasoline," said Berryhill. A public meeting is scheduled for December 8.

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