Costco Is Planning To Open Its Largest Warehouse Ever

There’s a myriad of different ways to describe a Costco warehouse, but small isn’t one of them. And the latest location that Costco is planning to open will be the most massive one yet.

Costco has proposed a brand-new warehouse in northwest Fresno, Calif., that will encompass a whopping 241,000 square feet and take up 22.4 acres of land, the Fresno Bee reported. That’s some massive square footage, even by Costco’s standards. 

RELATED: Costco Now Banning Customers Violating Its Strict Member Policy, Shopper Says

Costco warehouses fall at 146,000 square feet on average, while typical grocery stores usually encompass around 38,000 square feet, according to the Progressive Grocer. A 235,000-square-foot warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, currently holds the crown as the largest Costco on the planet.

The new Fresno location would be located at Herndon Avenue and Riverside Drive in Fresno, replacing an existing 134,000-square-foot warehouse that’s only about three miles away. Costco initially proposed building a smaller 178,000-square-foot warehouse back in 2021 but decided to aim even higher with its latest proposal, per the Fresno Bee. 

If all goes to plan, the record-breaking Costco warehouse will include 32 gas pumps, an automated car wash, and nearly 900 parking stalls. However, the plan is already reportedly facing pushback from locals.

Nearby residents have expressed concern about a potential boom in traffic from consumers and delivery trucks around the new site. After the city opened up comments on the proposed store in 2021, one local noted that extra traffic congestion could endanger students walking home from nearby schools, according to the Fresno Bee. Another local expressed concern about a potential increase in air pollution around the area thanks to the increased traffic.

READ RELATED: 7 Sandwich Chains Where Chefs Actually Eat

The proposed Costco warehouse is still undergoing an environmental review process before the company and city can move forward. Last week, Fresno’s Planning & Development Department released a draft environmental impact report for the project and kicked off a 45-day public comment period.

Costco declined to comment when contacted for more details on the new location.

While Costco continues working on its plans for the Fresno store, it just pulled the plug on another planned warehouse in Lowell, Ark. That Lowell location would have been the very first Costco in Northwest Arkansas and its second location in the state overall. Costco’s reasons for cancelling the plans are still unclear, but the head of the company that owns the land where Costco was planning to build said the retailer might reconsider in a year or so.

Meanwhile, Costco is expanding in other markets across the United States with five new warehouse openings this summer in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Ohio, and California.

Zoe Strozewski