Costco’s heavily used gas station in the Fair Oaks area will soon be out of commission.
Starting tomorrow (Tuesday), the big-box warehouse at 4725 West Ox Road is temporarily closing its gas station to allow construction on an expansion. The existing pumps are expected to close for about 48 days, according to notices posted at the checkout lines.
That means the station will likely reopen around early September.
“The warehouse will remain open during this timeframe,” the notice says. “We appreciate your continued patronage and hope that providing advance notice of this closure will help alleviate the inconvenience caused to our valued members.”
Approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 21, 2023, Costco’s planned expansion will nearly double the size of the fueling station, adding 14 fueling positions or seven pumps to bring the total up to 30 positions or 15 pumps.
According to a county staff report, the added gas pumps will require the removal of 16 parking spaces, but there will still be 797 spaces in the area to serve both Costco and Home Depot on the south side of Price Club Plaza. As a condition of the approval, Costco agreed to equip three spaces with Level 3 electric vehicle charging stations.
A study commissioned by Costco estimated that the expansion will generate roughly 213 to 228 new vehicle trips during peak hours, but the additional pumps will help reduce queuing.
“Traffic impact is expected to be minimal based upon reduced vehicle queues at the existing fueling facility and the percentage of new trips that will be made by customers who also visit the warehouse store or patronize the site as part of their daily travel patterns,” a representative for Costco said in a statement of justification.
The company said it would have a traffic attendant on site at all times to direct traffic, with additional staff present when needed.
Other development conditions included the installation of a concrete bus shelter on West Ox Road, two bicycle racks and a pedestrian connection to the north side of the Piney Branch Road and Price Club Plaza intersection.
The gas station will continue operating from 5:30 a.m. to one hour after the main store closes, which is typically 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and 7 p.m. on weekends.
Costco also got the county’s approval in 2024 for an 8,500-square-foot expansion of its retail warehouse building, though it’s unclear when that work might begin. The company didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
During the gas station closure, the closest alternative fueling site for Costco members is a Sunoco station just to the north at 4647 West Ox Road near 7-Eleven.
