Gas stations are vanishing from Washington’s inner suburbs

from the WaPo:


In Bethesda, in the middle of car-loving suburbia, gas stations are going the way of the drive-in movie.

Along busy Wisconsin Avenue, two Exxons and a BP have stopped selling gas or have closed completely, making way for a high-rise apartment building and a new bank. A Sunoco, the area’s last Wisconsin Avenue station, is being sold to a developer with plans for a six-floor office building.

On nearby Old Georgetown Road, the owner of a BP station at Fairmont Avenue had the pumps removed in March in hopes of building a 17-story condo building. A Shell station just across Old Georgetown at Woodmont Avenue also is being eyed for redevelopment.

.........(snip).........

The dwindling number of stations reflects a transformation underway in some of Washington’s innersuburbs as they continue to evolve from car-centric sprawl into more densely developed hubs built around walking, cycling and public transit. It also underscores recent changes in the gas station industry that have made it more difficult for stations on smaller parcels to make money, leaving owners more eager to sell. ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/gas-stations-are-vanishing-from-washingtons-inner-suburbs/2013/04/28/bff34762-9bb9-11e2-9a79-eb5280c81c63_story.html