New Costco coming to Surrey has local residents 'shocked and worried'

A petition calling for a stop to a giant new Costco location planned for South Surrey has been launched by a long-time resident with concerns about neighbourhood safety.

Surrey teacher and mother Alexis Wardle, whose family lives directly across from the proposed Costco site, recently launched the petition calling for a stop to the proposed Costco development in Grandview Heights.

According to Wardle, she was stunned upon realizing that the development was being considered with no planned infrastructure upgrades.

“I felt shocked and worried, not because a Costco was coming, but because it was coming to the wrong location without community protections.”

You might also like:
• First-ever outdoor ice rink opens at Surrey Civic Plaza for free skating this winter
• Vancouver Aquatic Centre will soon reopen after abrupt closure
• Nine B.C. companies named among best for corporate culture in Canada

As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, Costco is proposing to build a new store at 1891-1947 164th St. in South Surrey — on a vacant site on the east side of Highway 99, in an area between the highway’s existing 24th Avenue overpass and the 16th Avenue interchange.

Upon completion in the Grandview Heights neighbourhood, it would become Metro Vancouver’s largest Costco Wholesale store location.

Wardle and other local residents spoke at a public hearing at Surrey City Hall earlier this week before council voted in favour of a third reading for the required rezoning and amendments needed for the Costco construction to proceed.

Many were in favour of the project, while others, like Wardle, voiced their concerns.

“It’s being built directly across from family housing,” explained Wardle. “Costco’s typically have 800 to 1,000 cars per hour during peak times, and between 15 to 30 delivery trucks overnight, all funnelling through one road, 164th Street, right past residential front doors and Ta’talu Elementary, which is on 20th Avenue.

“There’s also going to be a 16-pump gas bar at this location that drains into Fergus Creek Watershed, a salmon-bearing stream, so it’s not just about people.”

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has expressed her support for the project.

“It’s encouraging to see major employers like Costco continuing to invest in Surrey,” said Locke in a previous statement.

“This proposal before Council represents a potential second Costco location in one of our fastest-growing areas of South Surrey. While the application will go through the full land-use process, it’s exciting to see this level of confidence and interest in our community.”

Costco is looking to rezone the site from “multiple residential” to “mixed employment” uses. The main store building will span 165,000 sq. ft., and there will be a surface vehicle parking lot with 975 stalls, along with a Costco gas station — making it Metro Vancouver’s third Costco store with a gas station, after the existing stores in Langley and Port Coquitlam.

Wardle explained that residents’ worries are not just about inconvenience.

“For many of us, this is our first home and the place we want to raise our children,” she said. “That’s why the idea of a massive warehouse store built right beside homes and schools feels so out of place.

“People are worried about traffic, property value, nighttime truck noise, and safety for kids walking to school. Some are frustrated, others want the City to do it properly.”

The petition currently has over 1,100 signatures, with supporters also sharing their thoughts on the proposed Costco location.

“Our area already has plenty of shopping options, including two nearby Save-On-Foods, a Safeway, a Walmart, and a Superstore,” said one person. “We’re not missing grocery or retail services. What we are missing is road capacity.

“With only one main road in and out, traffic is already a challenge. A Costco would bring thousands of extra cars into a space that isn’t designed for it, and that creates real safety concerns, especially with a school so close by.”

To better accommodate the expected significant vehicle traffic volumes, there will be a widening of 164th Street along the east side of the store property and 18th Avenue on the south side, a new roundabout will be built at the intersection of 164th Street and 19th Avenue, and new traffic signals will be installed at the intersection of 20th Avenue and 164th Street and the intersection of 20th Avenue and 168th Street.

However, Wardle says that the changes do not go far enough to assuage locals’ worries. Some important solutions she suggested that could make a big difference include:

• Adding a right-turn only access from 164 Street onto 16th Avenue or a full intersection at 16th Avenue
• Explore purchasing a property along 20th Avenue that is already for sale, allowing for a secondary access and truck route.
• Require a proper tree and sound buffer in front of Berkeley Village homes, equal to the buffer Costco is already proposing on the south side near the gas station
• Protect school zones, sidewalks, and walkable routes around Ta’talu Elementary
• Set limits for delivery truck hours so idling and reversing alarms aren’t happening all night near homes

“Some people think it’s too late that the decisions were already made, but we can still help shape how we manage the Costco coming instead of trying to stop it by pressuring the city to help mitigate traffic and protect the neighbourhood,” said Wardle.

“This isn’t about opposing Costco. It’s about asking the City to show the same level of care for residents as they do for development. This decision will shape the street my family lives on. I just want responsible planning that protects safety, livability, and the character of this community.”

With files from Kenneth Chan