LAKE STEVENS — A new Costco store at S. 24th Street and S. Lake Stevens Road is slated to open in time for Christmas ...of 2022.
Site preparation has begun for the 160,000-square-foot Costco warehouse and accompanying gas station, but city officials say the big box retailer won’t be ready to welcome shoppers until next fall.
Costco declined comment, citing a company policy not to discuss new stores until they are within three months of opening.
“The city is excited to welcome Costco to the community, as it will be among the first major developments along the 20th Street SE Corridor,” said Russ Wright, Lake Stevens’ community development director.
Wright called the warehouse a catalyst for the types of businesses envisioned in the corridor. The city wants the area to grow into an “employment center” that combines retail and commercial development with high-density housing.
“Costco will bring needed employment and retail options to the city,” Wright said.
The company says a typical store provides 275 jobs and employees earn an average of about $24 an hour.
This will be the fourth Costco warehouse in Snohomish County. Others are in Everett, Lynnwood and Marysville.
During the same time as Costco’s construction, several roadway revisions are being planned to ease traffic flow into the burgeoning area.
Work has started on two public road extensions at 24th Street SE and 91st Street SE, Wright said.
Next spring, the state Department of Transportation will begin building four roundabouts to handle increased traffic volume on State Route 9.
The roundabout planned for state Route 9 at S. Lake Stevens Road will most directly affect Costco and other future corridor developments.
Currently about 19,050 vehicles pass through the SR 9-South Lake Stevens Road intersection each day. That number is projected to jump to 28,700 once Costco opens.
“The existing intersection will not be able to handle this significant increase in vehicles turning onto SR 9, creating backups and delays that could lead to less safe driving conditions,” said Kris Olsen, a Transportation spokesperson.
“Roundabouts have a strong track record of moving this level of volume more quickly and safely than other intersection designs, including traffic signals,” Olsen said.
There were 14 collisions at the intersection between 2013 and 2017, according to a Transportation analysis, with nine resulting in injuries.
It’s estimated this new roundabout will decrease collisions by 50 to 57 percent.
Another roundabout north of the new Costco, at State Route 9 and SR204, “will increase mobility and provide multiple points of access to businesses in and around Frontier Village,” Olsen said.
A third new roundabout is slated for State Route 9 and N. Davies Road, as well as a mini-roundabout at 91st Avenue NE and Vernon Road.
Also, an existing roundabout on N. Davies Road and Vernon Road will be moved slightly to the east.
All the intersection improvements are scheduled to be completed by 2023.
