Coralville council likes Costco's reuse of distribution center

A planned Costco Wholesale club in Coralville will include more than 500 indoor parking spaces, a three-island gas station and a tire center, according to plans approved by the City Council Tuesday, Sept. 27.

The council approved the first of three readings of a Planned Unit Development 2 application that covers the site plan and rezoning of the 24-acre site on Heartland Drive.

Coralville Building and Zoning Official Jim Kessler, the only person to speak at a public hearing on the application, was impressed with the innovative approaches Costco took to adapting a former Amana refrigerator distribution center that will house the store. The center was built in two sections that join at an oblique angle.

The 137,000-square-foot first phase of the building was the only portion needed for the wholesale club. Instead of tearing down the larger first phase to build a parking lot, the plans call for the construction of driveway entrances that will enable it to be used for indoor parking.

A small 5,000-square-foot portion of the parking section will be dedicated to tire sales and service. A gas station with three pump islands - enough for 12 pumps - will be located between the building and I-80.

All three of the city council members present voted in favor of the planned unit development. The final vote of three required for approval is scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of October, meaning Costco can begin physical construction on Oct. 26.

Costco would like to begin grading work on its entrance drive shortly after approval and plans to work on the store through the winter, Kessler said. The company is hoping to open as early as next April, he added.

"They're chomping at the bit to get going," Kessler said.

The store would have 549 parking stalls and a new 5,242-square-foot receiving addition, according to plans presented to the city council. The warehouse club itself would occupy 137,857 square feet of retail space, excluding the tire center, interior parking and gas station.

Costco, based in Issaquah, Wash., is the world's largest wholesale membership club. Its only other Iowa store is located in West Des Moines.

Calls to the company on Wednesday were not immediately returned.