New Costco Gas Station Is Coming

Maui, and Hawaii in general, has always been in the unfortunate position of being one of (if not the most) expensive places to purchase gasoline in the entire USA. Thankfully, some much needed relief is in sight as Maui is about to get a price break in the form of an expanded Costco in Kahului featuring a gas station and car wash. As of Wednesday September 27th, a gallon of unleaded regular in Maui was $4.39. By example of the potential for cost savings, on the same day Costco was selling a gallon of unleaded regular in Honolulu for $3.92 where the average price was $4.12.

Nearly 90% of residents of Maui, a number totaling over 91,000 people, are card-carrying Costco customers. It’s not clear how much Costco in Maui is going to charge per gallon, but the potential of substantial savings for Maui residents on their fuel costs is quite obvious.

The Costco store located in Kahului is “one of the busiest in the world and one of the smallest in square footage,” said Jaime Havron, the store’s general manager. “We need space.” Listening to the concerns of the store’s management, the Maui Planning Commission voted this week to approve Costco to expand its Kahului store to include a gas station, car wash, 18,000 additional square feet of warehouse space, and more parking.

Not everyone is happy with the expansion, however. A petition submitted by Dairy Road Partners operating a nearby Superstop gas station have expressed concerns about the increase in traffic, and have said the Costco expansion would hurt their business. Commissioners overseeing the application have dismissed the petition, stating that Superstop’s economic interest in preventing the Costco expansion was not enough to qualify them as an intervener in the proposed expansion.

Expansion construction is expected to begin in January. As well as adding the much needed floor space, customer parking and fuel cost relief to the residents of Maui, Costco’s expansion will need to add a much needed 110 extra jobs to their current roster of 356 employees.

“We’re raring to go,” said Jack Frank, vice president of real estate and development for Costco Wholesale Corp.

With a break in fuel costs in their near future, residents of Kahului and area are raring for Costco to begin their expansion, as well!