California’s first Costco is about to become its biggest — if the lawyers don’t get there first.
The Fresno City Council voted 5-0 Thursday to approve a 219,000-square-foot Costco at Herndon Avenue and Riverside Drive in northwest Fresno, clearing the way for what would be one of the largest Costco stores in California and one of the biggest anywhere. The new warehouse would replace the chain’s 1985-era Shaw Avenue store — described by Costco representatives as California’s first Costco location — which is about 134,000 square feet and out of room to grow.
The new site is sweeping: a 22.4-acre property with a 32-pump gas station, an automated car wash, electric vehicle charging, and a 47,000-square-foot “Market Delivery Operation” with 24 truck bays designed to speed up home delivery of bulky items like appliances. Costco says the project represents a $98 million investment, will employ about 340 workers (up from 295 at Shaw), and is expected to generate roughly $15 million a year in tax revenue, with $8 million in development fees paid upfront.
For Costco fans, that’s the dream — bigger store, more parking, faster delivery, and the chain’s newest prototype design.
For opponents, it looks like something else entirely: a distribution center wearing retail clothing.
The project has been through this fight before. The City Council first approved it in 2024, but the Herndon-Riverside Coalition sued and a Fresno County judge ruled last year that the city’s environmental review violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The city went back, revised the assessment, and brought the project back for another vote.
Daniel Brannick, the land use attorney leading the coalition, made his message clear at Thursday’s meeting: “If you approve this project today, we will be back in court.” His argument hinges on those 24 truck bays. “If it blocks like a DC, and it cracks like a DC,” Brannick said, “you can fill in the blank” — meaning the Market Delivery Operation looks more like a distribution center than a retail store, which would violate the site’s commercial zoning.
Councilman Mike Karbassi, whose district includes the site, wasn’t impressed by the opposition turnout. “I just want to state we’re having this meeting today. I don’t see pitchforks. I don’t see my residents here protesting. Where’s the coalition? I see one person.” But even Karbassi said he expects Brannick to sue again.
Traffic is the easiest concern for neighbors to grasp. The project’s own analysis projects roughly 166,000 vehicle trips, though Brannick has noted some of those simply move from the existing store. Costco has tried to defuse the friction with concessions including banning its trucks from Riverside Drive and repaving the road with a sound-dampening rubber concrete mix.
That leaves California’s biggest Costco-to-be closer to reality — but not guaranteed. The question for nearby residents is the one that follows nearly every big-box approval in the state: how big is too big for the neighborhood?
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