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City Council puts final stamps on Costco plans

The arrival of Costco in southeast Longmont will bring as many as 300 jobs and $4.06 million in new sales tax in the store’s first year of operation, city officials say.
In-Person Council 6-29 (3 of 24)
The newly remodeled Longmont City Council Chambers

Longmont City Council unanimously approved three separate agreements paving the way for the development of a 150,000-square-foot Costco retail store and fueling station  Tuesday night. The arrival of Costco in southeast Longmont will bring as many as 300 jobs and $4.06 million in new sales tax in the store’s first year of operation, city officials say.

Longmont will also gain affordable housing as part of the comprehensive land use amendment plan, rezoning and concept amendments for the Irwin Thomas property, the site of the Costo development, officials said Tuesday night.

“This provides many different benefits to the city,” said Councilmember Polly Christensen. “We as council have been looking at this for several years.”

The people behind the Costco plans, she added, “are people of good will.”

The parcel is located north and south of Colo.119 between Martin Street on the west and 119th Street on the east. The deal will also add a collector street designation to the north-south Harvest Moon Drive between Colo. 119 and Quail Road.

The city will mitigate the gravel mining of the remainder of the Irwin Thomas property, a city staff report states.

Christensen said residents near the gravel operation are not happy with the redevelopment. “...We are concerned about it,” she said.

Still, the city will get more good paying jobs and shopping options that Costco offers, Christensen added. Costco will “add greatly to the city,” she said.

The city’s package of incentives to Costco is more than $12.99 million, according to city staff.

The “location of the Costco retail warehouse … Within city limits represents a significant economic development opportunity for Longmont community members to enjoy a diversification of retail opportunities locally as well as stemming the leakage of sales tax dollars from the city,” according to a staff report to the city council last year.

Costco expects to open no later than July 2024, according to the staff report.

CORRECTION: The Costco facility will be located in southeast Longmont. Changes were made to the story's headline and lede paragraph