Opposition to new northwest Fresno Costco as city council prepares to take final vote

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Some Northwest Fresno residents are urging the City Council to block a proposed new Costco at the corner of North Riverside Drive and West Herndon Avenue.

"This, right here, is going to be big," neighborhood resident Xavier Flores told Action News. "I think it's going to have a negative impact on our community here, in our neighborhood, and the surrounding areas."

Flores lives around the corner from where the new store would go. It is currently an empty grass lot, but Costco has big plans.

The proposed Costco would be nearly 220,000 square feet. There would be a 32-pump gas station, a car wash, and about a thousand parking spots.

That is a lot of traffic that Flores says will crowd the usually quiet streets. He says it will pose a safety risk to the elderly at a nearby memory care center and kids in the neighborhood.

"You got the school to the right, here. Two schools," Flores said. "And all these places here - the bus stops on both sides to pick up and drop off kids."

Flores is not the only one with concerns. In City Council documents obtained by Action News, several other Fresno residents said they also oppose the new project. Only one voiced support.

Fresno City Council Members even delayed approving the new store during a March meeting over traffic concerns.

In new documents filed with the city, Costco says it has made several changes to the plan.

They will add a new traffic light near the parking lot, expand some lanes on North Riverside Drive, and even add a new turn lane.

There will still be traffic, though, and Flores still has concerns.

"It's starting to brew in a negative way to our neighborhood," Flores said. "This road is one of the main ones, and nobody wants all this traffic going through this neighborhood."

The Fresno City Council is set to consider the proposed Costco again on Thursday. Councilmember Mike Karbassi tells Action News he looks forward to reviewing Costco's progress to reduce some of the negative impacts.

"Our goal is to keep Fresno a job-friendly community while doing our part to ensure that these major developments are of maximum benefit to neighbors and don't burden our taxpayers with unanticipated future costs for traffic mitigation," Karbassi said, in part.