Neighbors in South Bay fight against Costco project

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA — Residents in west San Jose say their community is not the right place for a massive Costco warehouse and its inevitable impact on traffic safety.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to approve an environmental impact report on Wednesday for a possible sixth Costco store at 5287 Prospect Road. The report, released this month, includes letters of concern not only from residents but also from government agencies.

Because of the proximity to Saratoga, Community Development Director Bryan Swanson urged San Jose officials to work closely with Saratoga on land use to ensure responsible development of the project.

The proposal will be presented to the city council for approval on October 22nd.

Marc Pawliger, co-founder of the grassroots group Save West Valley!, said the surrounding neighborhood has similar concerns and wants road improvements. He said the area isn't prepared to handle the traffic a Costco would bring — and San Jose authorities didn't seem interested in addressing the problem.

He described the area as a puzzle that spans multiple jurisdictions.

“We've seen Costco make a lot of improvements to the public infrastructure around them because they're causing problems themselves, and we haven't heard any talk in San Jose about doing the same thing,” Pawliger told San Jose Spotlight. “There doesn't seem to be much of an effort between Costco and the city to get any sort of remedial action or improvements.”

Since San Jose officials first announced plans for the warehouse in 2021, community groups like Save West Valley! have written hundreds of public comments and kept the neighborhood updated on the project's progress.

Pawliger said he is meeting this week with Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei, who represents District 1 where the project is planned, to discuss his concerns. Kamei did not respond to a request for comment.

“This intersection is Saratoga on one side and San Jose on the other. The Lawrence Expressway is a county road and Prospect is a city road – so it also crosses a county line,” Pawliger told San Jose Spotlight. “It's going to take bringing together a lot of groups that don't necessarily have the same priorities.”

Prospect High School students regularly cross the traffic islands that separate lanes at some of the busiest intersections, he said.

City officials say they plan to widen the travel path on the west side of the proposed Costco along the Lawrence Expressway from 4 feet to 8 feet and improve crosswalks at crosswalks.

A spokesman for the Prospect High School Parent-Teacher-Student Association, which is concerned about traffic safety, told city officials that the estimated 11,000 additional trips per day would require more than the “proposed minor sidewalk improvements.”

Amy Cody, president of the Moreland West Neighborhood Association, is a member of the association and said she not only wants the city to make improvements to its infrastructure, but also wants Costco to take a more active role.

“I would like to see Costco or the mall owner fund some of the infrastructure needed for these project proposals,” she told San Jose Spotlight. “It will have a huge, lasting impact on the people who live nearby, who drive through the area to go to school, and of course those who shop here.”

If the city approves the 15,000-square-foot Costco store, the Goodwill store, Ethan Allen Furniture Company, Bikram Yoga San Jose and the former Smart & Final and Orchard Supply Hardware building will be demolished. The project will be the first location in the U.S. with rooftop parking, according to Costco, and will include a tire center. In addition, part of the parking lot will be reconfigured to block off a driveway across from the Graves Avenue residences.

According to Costco's website, the store would bring 250 to 300 jobs to San Jose.

Neighbors like Sheafe Smith, who has lived there for 59 years, said they support the planned Costco because the warehouse could revitalize the area.

“Westgate West was once a vibrant shopping center and I want to see it restored. That can only happen with a massive transformation like Costco will bring,” he wrote to city officials.

The San Jose Planning Commission meets Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

This story was originally published by San Jose Spotlight.

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