Fresno Will Try Again for Northwest Costco Approval This Month
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The bid to build a new Costco in northwest Fresno returns to the approval pipeline this month. And, this time, planners in Mayor Jerry Dyer’s administration say the proposal will satisfy the traffic concerns of environmental groups, according to city documents.
On Wednesday, city staff will seek recommendation from the Fresno Planning Commission on the environmental documents behind the massive retail center and gas station at Herndon and Riverside avenues. On May 21, the decision to approve or deny the plan will fall on the Fresno City Council.
City documents say the new environmental study satisfies the requirements laid out in the July 2025 Fresno County Superior Court decision that sidelined the project.
Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi declined to comment on the new Costco. Previously, however, he said that having the project would be a boon to Fresno’s economy. He also said he feared losing the project to Madera County.
At an April 2024 city council hearing, company officials said that the new store would generate an estimated $15 million in annual total tax revenue.
Costco Adds Traffic Calming Measures
In July 2025, Judge Jonathan Skiles sided with plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the 22-acre project.
Led by land-use attorney Daniel Brannick, the group Herndon Riverside Coalition for Responsible Planning and Development said the 2024 study did not address how neighbors would be impacted by increased traffic at the shopping center, which would include a last-mile home delivery facility.
A call to Brannick was not immediately returned.
Added to the conditions of approval are a series of requirements to ease traffic congestion. Among them: an all-way stop at Spruce and Hayes avenues, including a high-visibility crosswalk.
Costco-related truck traffic would not be allowed to use North Riverside Drive, and Costco would have to resurface and restripe the westbound lane of Herndon Avenue.
Finally, the developer would add 20 ADA accessible parking stalls.
Gas Station, Car Wash, Last-Mile Delivery Center
The new Costco would replace the one at Shaw and Blythe avenues.
The 242,000-square-foot retail center would include a gas station, car wash, and automotive center. Another 50,000 square feet would be used as a “market delivery operation” for home deliveries.
That facility may still be a point of contention for the project.
A letter written in January by Brannick attached to the environmental document says that the current zoning does not allow for the last-mile facility.
Analysts disagreed, saying other home delivery facilities has become commonplace in retail. Walmart Supercenter, Best Buy, and Dick’s Sporting Goods all incorporate the feature into their regular operations.
The post Fresno Will Try Again for Northwest Costco Approval This Month appeared first on GV Wire.
