Costco off Route 29 could be getting a major new expansion

Shoppers at the Route 29-adjacent Costco might notice some major changes soon.

The wholesale company is seeking a special exception from Fairfax County to increase the size of its existing retail warehouse at 4725 West Ox Road by around 8,500 square feet and enhance some of the store’s departments.

The new addition would be located to the eastern side of the building.

“The additional space proposed for the existing warehouse building would be utilized for upgrading and expanding the delicatessen and rotisserie area, increasing the size of the refrigerated meat storage space, constructing a new produce cooler, and expanding sales aisles,” the application said. “There will be slight increase in [floor area ratio].”

The application says Costco’s Fairfax area location is a popular one, with around 5,000 customers per day. The expansion is estimated to bring in another approximately 300 customers.

The company also anticipates hiring another 16 employees if the addition is approved, bringing its total workforce for that location to approximately 286 people.

The expansion is expected to result in dozens more vehicle trips to the already heavily frequented site, according to the application:

• 26 AM peak hour trips (14 in/12 out)
• 37 PM peak hour trips (18 in/19 out)
• 63 Saturday peak hour trips (31 in/32 out)
• 417 weekday average daily trips (7,453 Weekday average trips total)
• 753 Saturday average daily trips (8,218 Saturday trips total)

“The proposed expansion of the retail warehouse building will provide a significant improvement to the operation of the facility for Costco’s members,” the application said. “The proposed amendment conforms to the spirit of the Zoning Ordinance and the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan. Therefore, for the reasons set forth herein, the Applicant respectfully requests approval of this Special Exception Amendment application.”

The county accepted the application for review on Sept. 6, but no hearings have been scheduled yet.

The proposal comes after Costco got the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ approval in March to expand the gas station at its West Ox location from 16 to 30 fuel pumps.

Image via Google Maps