Costco cometh? Maybe

Whether neighboring residents
want it or not, a big box store will be built along Evergreen Drive in Concord
Township. That’s a given according to the attorney representing the developer
of the property. What store that will be is the, as yet, unanswered question.

It appears at this point in
time it will be a Costco store. That has many people excited.

A passing comment to Concord
Township Fire Marshal Fred Field was that as long as the planned store was
safe, it should be approved. People are tired of driving to the Costco stores
in King of Prussia or near the Christiana Mall in Delaware.

Field said he had heard that
from a lot of people.

He’s not alone. Ginny DeNenno,
of the Concord Township Planning Commission said she’s been hearing the same
thing.

Even conversation in the coffee
shop in Chadds Ford reflects the same sentiment. People want a Costco nearby. A
Costco, not a Walmart or any of the other big box stores. A Costco. They don’t
want it in their backyards, however.

NIMBY, not in my backyard, is
an understandable thought. People don’t want to be inconvenienced with
excessive traffic or noise near their homes. Yet, with proper planning and
design, much of that inconvenience can be avoided or diverted.

The plan offered by Costco for
the Concord Township location seems reasonable and safe. All setbacks have been
met and there is landscaping to act as a buffer.

Concord also gets the
dedication of Evergreen Drive, something supervisors have said they want.
Evergreen also becomes a loop road, another township desire. Sweetening the pot
is the improvement of Conchester Road, a stretch that’s truly in bad shape.

Additionally, Concord will see
increased tax revenue from a business while other businesses will likely see
more people coming into their doors simply through the natural symbiotic
relationship between businesses.

Will there be increased vehicle
traffic in the area? Without a doubt, it can’t be avoided. Such is the nature
of modern living. And it would happen no matter what store goes in there. But
safety concerns surrounding that increase in vehicular traffic can be dealt
with and problems kept to a minimum.

Concord supervisors have shown
an understanding of the practicality of the situation in hearing the latest
proposal from Costco. They withheld conditional use approval last year because
of concerns over the status of Evergreen Drive and the first proposed location
of a gas station.

They could have let Costco go
through the entire appeals’ process and let the courts decide what would
happen, but they kept themselves open to new ideas and may get not only what
they initially wanted, but perhaps something more with an improved Conchester
Road.

Come Labor Day, or maybe a
month later, shovels could hit the ground to build that Costco. That will be a
good thing.

About CFLive Staff

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