New Costco set to open in Brentwood on March 7
The crown jewel of wholesale grocers is finally coming to Brentwood next month when a new Costco location opens its doors on March 7th.
Costco customers still have a week to wait, but that hasn't stopped them from staring at the construction site in anticipation.
Daniel Gonzalez is one such Brentwood resident looking forward to the grand opening.
"I think it's a great addition, you know? It's going to be one of those businesses," Gonzalez said. "I think it's going to help out the economy and the neighborhood."
The Costco will be the first located within Brentwood city limits and will be the largest in Contra Costa County. The location will house a pharmacy, a tire shop and hearing aid testing.
Brentwood City Manager Tim Ogden said this store is a catalyst.
"Costco is part of a larger master planned community that's going to bring in some housing and also additional commercial and school as well," Ogden said. "And so the city's put in about $13 million worth of infrastructure and preparing to do additional infrastructure this summer."
Brentwood is one of the East Bay's fastest growing cities. In ten years, the population increased by 10 percent, rising to 65,000 people. Ogden expects more to come with the attraction of new business.
"Costco is a big player in the market and shows that there's enough for everybody to come along and work up their businesses here as well," he said.
Adegoke Adeyemi and his one-year-old son Prince love Costco. The new build brings the bad with the good.
"It's going to cause a lot of more traffic than there already is on Lone Tree Way," Adeyemi said. "Right there in front of In-n-Out, and that's going to cause a lot of more mayhem for Costco over here."
Another draw for this store will be the 32-pump gas station which will draw drivers looking to save some money.
That may help local residents, because the East Bay's fastest growing city has a reputation for extremely long commutes. In fact, the United States Census Bureau rated it the worst in the nation, averaging at 46 minutes.
"It's just a lot of people are always going to be here, no matter the time of the day," Adeyemi said.
The city invested in projects to mitigate traffic woes. The Sand Creek Road expansion will create a path to Costco and Loan Tree Plaza. It is the first in other major projects to come.