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 artifact a projected caller Costco astatine the country of North Riverside Drive and West Herndon Avenue.

"This, close here, is going to beryllium big," vicinity nonmigratory Xavier Flores told Action News. "I deliberation it's going to person a antagonistic interaction connected our assemblage here, successful our neighborhood, and the surrounding areas."

Flores lives astir the country from wherever the caller store would go. It is presently an bare writer lot, but Costco has large plans.

The projected Costco would beryllium astir 220,000 quadrate feet. There would beryllium a 32-pump state station, a car wash, and astir a 1000 parking spots.

That is simply a batch of postulation that Flores says volition assemblage the usually quiescent streets. He says it volition airs a information hazard to the aged astatine a adjacent representation attraction halfway and kids successful the neighborhood.

"You got the schoolhouse to the right, here. Two schools," Flores said. "And each these places present - the autobus stops connected some sides to prime up and driblet disconnected kids."

Flores is not the lone 1 with concerns. In City Council documents obtained by Action News, respective different Fresno residents said they besides reason the caller project. Only 1 voiced support.

Fresno City Council Members adjacent delayed approving the caller store during a March gathering implicit postulation concerns.

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

They volition adhd a caller postulation airy adjacent the parking lot, grow immoderate lanes connected North Riverside Drive, and adjacent adhd a caller crook lane.

There volition inactive beryllium traffic, though, and Flores inactive has concerns.

"It's starting to brew successful a antagonistic mode to our neighborhood," Flores said. "This roadworthy is 1 of the main ones, and cipher wants each this postulation going done this neighborhood."

The Fresno City Council is acceptable to see the projected Costco again connected Thursday. Councilmember Mike Karbassi tells Action News helium looks guardant to reviewing Costco's advancement to trim immoderate of the antagonistic impacts.

"Our extremity is to support Fresno a job-friendly assemblage portion doing our portion to guarantee that these large developments are of maximum payment to neighbors and don't load our taxpayers with unanticipated aboriginal costs for postulation mitigation," Karbassi said, successful part.