EAST NAPLES, Fla. — Collier County planners have cleared one of the last hurdles for Costco to build a new location in East Naples, despite opposition from neighbors who tried to block the project over technical rules related to a proposed gas station.
The Hacienda Lakes area along Collier Boulevard is already zoned for commercial use, but Costco needed an exception to build its signature gas station.
WATCH TO SEE WHY THE LOCATION OF THE NEW COSTCO IS CONTROVERSIAL:
The planned pumps would sit just over 132 feet from a 7-Eleven station, well short of the 500-foot requirement.
On Thursday, neighbors attended the planning commission meeting hoping a denial of the exception would halt the project.
Instead, the commission recommended approval 4-1, after Costco argued there is enough separation between pumps and that the additional station would meet local demand.
Jack Yazinski, a concerned homeowner, said the board ignored residents’ rights in favor of the applicant.
"The commissioners and the planning staff kept talking about the due process right of the applicant. Never once mentioning the due process rights of the residents who live there! We also have due process rights," Yazinski said.
Yazinski worries a Costco at the Rattlesnake Road bottleneck will increase traffic and hurt property values.
"The thought of a Costco was never contemplated… this was somewhat of a futile effort. However, there is a record now and we will be around as it goes forward," he said.
Other locals said a new Costco would make life more convenient.
"I'm very much in favor of having the Costco there. To travel from where I currently live to the Costco over Pine Ridge is quite a bit of a drive. In peak traffic it can take about an hour each way," one supporter said in a past conversation with Fox 4.
Costco representatives said both the gas station and warehouse will meet or exceed all local, state, and federal standards.
"We're under the thresholds for traffic, under the thresholds for lighting, under the thresholds for acreage – and we exceed environmental standards for gas operations and compliance," said Brad Wester representing Costco.
The planning commission’s recommendation now goes to county commissioners for a final vote.
If approved, the opposition group said it plans to file a lawsuit.
