7-Eleven looking to rebuild store near Lukens Lane, add gas pumps

The 7-Eleven at the intersection of Richmond Highway and Lukens Lane could be getting a major overhaul that would include the addition of eight gas pumps.

The company has applied to Fairfax County for a special exception needed for the project, which would scrap the current building and significantly alter the appearance of the lot, located at 8629 Richmond Highway (see map).

The new 7-Eleven would sit farther north and more toward the rear of the nearly 60,000 square-foot lot, which actually three parcels of land — most of it currently vacant — owned by the company. The gas pumps would sit south of the building, closer to Lukens Lane.

The new store, an attached retail space and the pumps would be set back far enough from the road to leave room for the upcoming Richmond Highway widening, according to the company’s application. In a letter outlining the project, attorneys for 7-Eleven say the new eight-pump service station would be needed in part because the widening project will force some nearby service stations to either close or reduce the number of pumps at their station.

“The Applicant anticipates that due to the nature of the future road improvements planned for Richmond Highway, several of the nearby existing services stations will be forced to close or reduce the number of pumping stations,” reads the letter from the law firm Bean, Kinney & Korman, dated Nov. 29, 2018. “This project will benefit from being designed with the Richmond Highway improvements in mind and will meet a continuing need within the corridor for convenience stores and service stations to support residents and travelers.”

The gas station and 7-Eleven would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, according to the application. The new 7-Eleven would be approximately 4,000 square feet, while the attached retail space would be 2,400 square feet, according to the application. There would 37 parking spaces on the lot.

The existing 7-Eleven has been in operation since 1973, and the building itself was constructed in 1961. The application said the new 7-Eleven would be a prototype store, built with environmentally friendly products, according to the application.

“This proposal will improve the overall design of the existing building and incorporate superior architectural design and building materials,” the application states.

Noting the poor state of the fence to the rear of the property that separates it from a residential area, the application said that the fence would be replaced by a 7-foot block wall. The company would also be adding new trees to the property, as required by the county.

As of now, the application is set to go before the Fairfax County Planning Commission on May 22 and the Board of Supervisors on June 11.