Daiei Nagaoka Store, which was located in the Echigo Kotsu Building and was for a long time the landmark of Higashiguchi side of the station, also closed as of August 31, 2005, raising fears that the area around the station might empty out.
また、東口側駅前に長年「顔」として存在していた越後交通ビルのダイエー長岡店も2005年8月31日で閉店し、ますます駅周辺の空洞化が進むのではないかとの懸念がある。