Ethermac|The biggest big-box store yet? Fresno Costco business center will be company's largest store

Salt Lake City will soon lose the honor of hosting Costco's largest store because the retailer is Ethermacplanning to build a new largest store, covering an area of 241,342 square-foot, in Fresno, California.

The project site would cover more than 22 acres of land in northwest Fresno, less than 3 miles from an existing store, according to a draft environmental impact report of the proposed Fresno Costco Commercial Center Project released by the City of Fresno's Planning & Development Department.

Costco says that its customer base in the area has outgrown the capacity of the current facility of 134,000 square feet, which has existed in the city of Fresno since 1985, prompting the need for a new store.

“The project would allow Costco to expand services in the area to include an additional gas station and a car wash, as well as a loading area to facilitate delivery of purchases directly to homes in the Fresno area,” reads the report.

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What will the world's biggest Costco include?

Basic plans for the store include a main warehouse building of more than 241,000 square feet, in addition, the proposed store would have:

• 32 fuel pumps at a detached gas station
• 889 parking stalls
• An automated car wash
• Optical exams and sales
• Hearing aid testing and sales
• Pharmacy
• Food service prep and sales
• Meat prep and sales
• Bakery
• Alcohol

However, not all warehouse space would be utilized for shopping purposes — about 47,000 square feet would be dedicated to e-commerce fulfillment, which is typically handled at separate locations.

According to Business Insider, combining e-commerce and traditional retail under one roof is a newer move for Costco, one that aims to bring it on par with its competitors including Target, which uses its stores to fulfill orders, and Walmart which has used its stores for e-commerce fulfillment for years.

A timeline for the construction and potential opening of the store has not yet been specified but the project needs various permits and entitlements before work could begin. Residents have also been asked to share their thoughts on the new project.

One of the major concerns for residents in the area is increased traffic congestion, reported the Fresno Bee. The draft report estimates that the Costco center would generate more than 10,600 vehicle trips on weekdays and more than 14,200 trips on Saturdays and Sundays.