Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 5, May 2003

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Costco plans for new store on Aurora draws opposition

By MATTHEW PREUSCH

Costco's plans to build a huge warehouse store along Aurora Avenue N has run into opposition from several Haller Lake residents who say it would damage the character of their neighborhood.

While the size of the store has drawn some criticism, the chief concern of neighbors is the increased traffic the Costco outlet would generate.

Development, neighbors say, is out pacing traffic planning for the area. A new Krispy Kreme doughnut store, set to open May 20 on the northwest corner of N. 125th and Aurora, is expected to significantly increase traffic congestion.

Neighbors see the proposed Costco store, which would be near the intersection's southeast corner, as another step in the wrong direction.

"Our transportation glass is not half empty and it's not half full; it's overflowing right now," said Haller Lake Community Club member Rick Barrett. "We're overwhelmed by pass-through traffic."

The Haller Lake neighborhood, like much of Seattle north of N. 85th Street, wasn't annexed by the City until the 1950s. Consequently, it lacks much of the infrastructure, such as sidewalks, that is taken for granted in other neighborhoods.

Adding to the problem was the City's designation in the 1990s of a nearby stretch of Aurora as an "urban hub," a place where dense commercial development is encouraged.

At the time, local residents drafted a neighborhood plan calling on the City to build sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and other street improvements. Few of those improvements have been implemented, residents say.

Costco's initial plans for the North Seattle store call for construction of a 149,860-square-foot building on the Lincoln Towing site, which is located east of Aurora, just south of N 125th Street. The new store would include a warehouse floor built over two levels of parking and a separate tire center. The store would have over 800 parking spots.

Traffic planners for the retailer predict the new store will generate about 3,200 auto round trips a day, with most of the cars entering from Aurora, with the aid of a proposed new traffic signal. "That's a critical component of this project," said Costco project manager Peter Kahn.

Members of the community club which has been working with Costco on the store's design dispute the retailer's traffic estimates.

David Nurney, head of the community club's Costco committee, believes the number of new cars will be closer to 5,000, and that many will end up using on the east-west arterials around Haller Lake.

"Massive traffic is by no means the only impact of this development," Durney recently wrote in the community club's newsletter. He said the new store would cut off views from Haller Lake and create early morning noise from the delivery trucks needed to stock its shelves.

Kahn said Costco plans to proceed with its new store as planned, but added that the company is willing to listen to neighbors' concerns.