In an effort to offer another benefit to its members, BJs proposes to install a retail gas station in its parking lot at the Fair Lakes Shopping Center.
Although anyone could purchase gasoline there, it would be available at reduced prices only to BJs members. Proposed are four, free-standing pumps and a full-time attendant, but no building or diesel fuel.
Details of the plan were presented at the May 4 meeting of the Springfield District/Fairfax Center Land-Use Committee. And by meeting's end, the committee endorsed the plan unanimously.
"It would be a tremendous incentive to their customers," said land-use chairman Mark Cummings. "And it would give them a competitive advantage."
The pumps would go near the internal service-road, so the committee's biggest concern was traffic flow.
"We want traffic to move smoothly and not add congestion to the service road because that road is already congested," explained Cummings. "So we asked them to take another look at their traffic projections. People will be making a left-hand turn from that road into the gas station, and they'll have to cut across one lane of traffic [to reach it]."
He said BJs anticipated a small spike in membership after the pumps are installed, but nothing overwhelming. Said Cummings: "At other locations where they've done this, they said it's been successful and hasn't caused [traffic] problems."
The committee worried that, because the pumps would displace about 60 parking spaces, there wouldn't be enough parking for BJs customers but, to compensate, employee parking would be shifted to another spot.
The land-use members liked BJs landscaping plans. "They went to the trouble to fully landscape the whole perimeter and create a whole, green, landscape buffer, rather than putting up a fence — which would have been an eyesore," said Cummings. "This buffer would also channel traffic well."
BJs hopes to have the gas pumps up and running in a year. The county Planning Commission has the final say.