Waterloo council approves Costco development, with new conditions
Waterloo city council has voted to permit a zone change which would allow for the development of a Costco in the west end of the city, under certain conditions.
In response to public concerns over increased traffic expected by the arrival of the superstore, councillors voted in favour of amendments to the original motion. These include putting a hold on all construction until a complete traffic analysis, public open houses and transportation improvements have been completed.
"I think it hits the sweet spot," said Waterloo city councillor Karen Scian, whose ward includes the proposed Costco site on Erb St. W. "It was important to listen to as much community input as possible."
Jeff Ishida, the vice-president of Costco Wholesale was at the council meeting, and says the company was slightly disappointed in the result.
"Obviously we were hoping for a complete approval," said Ishida. "The timeline was that we wanted to open by the end of this year."
Ishida says the store will bring 200 new jobs to the region, and that average Costco wages are around $20 an hour.