Gas Stations Get Guzzled as D.C.'s Suburbs Densify

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

"The dwindling number of stations reflects a transformation underway in some of Washington’s innersuburbs [sic] 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."