A new Costco will be opening in Loomis next week, and while some are excited that the wholesale retailer is coming to town, others are concerned about traffic impacts to the area.The Costco, located on Sierra College Boulevard near Brace Road, has been years in the making. It is very close to the border of Rocklin, just north of Interstate 80.Loomis Mayor Stephanie Youngblood said the Costco is expected to bring between $500,000 and $1 million in revenue annually to the town, as well as hundreds of jobs.“It would be great for our town because people will be able to shop in their backyard, as opposed to going toward other cities and stimulating the economy there, where we need the revenue and the funds here to help with our infrastructure and our roads,” Youngblood said.Loomis resident Julie Ornelas lives only a couple miles away from the Costco. She signed up for a Costco membership Wednesday right outside the building and said she is excited to shop at the store once it opens.“I think it’ll be great. I think the opportunity to use something like this and to have the services around us, I think that’ll be important to the community as well,” Ornelas said.But many in the community are concerned by how much more traffic the Costco will bring to the area. Ornelas said that is something she has thought about too.“We’re hoping that it doesn’t impact the traffic too badly,” Ornelas said.Rocklin officials have voiced concerns for years about potential traffic problems, focusing on how commuters and local businesses would be impacted by a flood of additional vehicles. Rocklin Mayor Greg Janda said the city put the Sierra College Boulevard Interchange in place near I-80 to help alleviate traffic congestion.“The main concern with the development was impact on the infrastructure, on the streets, roadways, the traffic,” Janda said. “We really did want that interchange to continue to function. There’s a lot of traffic that goes in there.”There have been major issues with the project in the past, including traffic, environmental and zoning concerns, and the opening was delayed.Through a settlement, Costco agreed to pay Rocklin around $3.75 million for the work the city did on the interchange. The settlement also led to the extension of a right-turn lane into the Costco property, and it ordered Costco to “not build a gas station” on the site.“We felt that was just going to be too much for that site to handle,” Janda said.Janda also said officials are working to sync up some of the stoplights in the area to reduce traffic backups. He said the goal is for all the improvements to make a difference.“We’re hopeful that certainly our requests that have been agreed upon will help significantly, but it’s something we’re going to have to continue to watch,” Janda said.Nearby businesses such as MOOYAAH Burgers, which is located in a Rocklin shopping center right off I-80, said they are worried the traffic will turn people away.“I’m a little concerned about getting off the exit on the freeway, that people are going to be a little concerned and say, ‘Ah, I don’t want to go to this center,’ so that’s the only thing,” MOOYAH Burgers owner Mo Sina said.Sina said the goal would be the exact opposite: for the extra traffic to drive more customers to his restaurant. That is why he is going to keep an eye on what business is like during the first couple of weeks that the Costco is open.“It could be hit or miss. We don’t know,” Sina said. “Time will tell.”The Costco will open at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 23. There will be a ribbon cutting with town leaders. In the afternoon, there will be a whiskey bottle signing with actor Charlie Day.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.
LOOMIS, Calif. —
A new Costco will be opening in Loomis next week, and while some are excited that the wholesale retailer is coming to town, others are concerned about traffic impacts to the area.
The Costco, located on Sierra College Boulevard near Brace Road, has been years in the making. It is very close to the border of Rocklin, just north of Interstate 80.
Loomis Mayor Stephanie Youngblood said the Costco is expected to bring between $500,000 and $1 million in revenue annually to the town, as well as hundreds of jobs.
“It would be great for our town because people will be able to shop in their backyard, as opposed to going toward other cities and stimulating the economy there, where we need the revenue and the funds here to help with our infrastructure and our roads,” Youngblood said.
Loomis resident Julie Ornelas lives only a couple miles away from the Costco. She signed up for a Costco membership Wednesday right outside the building and said she is excited to shop at the store once it opens.
“I think it’ll be great. I think the opportunity to use something like this and to have the services around us, I think that’ll be important to the community as well,” Ornelas said.
But many in the community are concerned by how much more traffic the Costco will bring to the area. Ornelas said that is something she has thought about too.
“We’re hoping that it doesn’t impact the traffic too badly,” Ornelas said.
Rocklin officials have voiced concerns for years about potential traffic problems, focusing on how commuters and local businesses would be impacted by a flood of additional vehicles. Rocklin Mayor Greg Janda said the city put the Sierra College Boulevard Interchange in place near I-80 to help alleviate traffic congestion.
“The main concern with the development was impact on the infrastructure, on the streets, roadways, the traffic,” Janda said. “We really did want that interchange to continue to function. There’s a lot of traffic that goes in there.”
There have been major issues with the project in the past, including traffic, environmental and zoning concerns, and the opening was delayed.
Through a settlement, Costco agreed to pay Rocklin around $3.75 million for the work the city did on the interchange. The settlement also led to the extension of a right-turn lane into the Costco property, and it ordered Costco to “not build a gas station” on the site.
“We felt that was just going to be too much for that site to handle,” Janda said.
Janda also said officials are working to sync up some of the stoplights in the area to reduce traffic backups. He said the goal is for all the improvements to make a difference.
“We’re hopeful that certainly our requests that have been agreed upon will help significantly, but it’s something we’re going to have to continue to watch,” Janda said.
Nearby businesses such as MOOYAAH Burgers, which is located in a Rocklin shopping center right off I-80, said they are worried the traffic will turn people away.
“I’m a little concerned about getting off the exit on the freeway, that people are going to be a little concerned and say, ‘Ah, I don’t want to go to this center,’ so that’s the only thing,” MOOYAH Burgers owner Mo Sina said.
Sina said the goal would be the exact opposite: for the extra traffic to drive more customers to his restaurant. That is why he is going to keep an eye on what business is like during the first couple of weeks that the Costco is open.
“It could be hit or miss. We don’t know,” Sina said. “Time will tell.”
The Costco will open at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 23. There will be a ribbon cutting with town leaders. In the afternoon, there will be a whiskey bottle signing with actor Charlie Day.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.
