Costco has plans for St. Charles

St. Charles could soon be home to Costco's 13th suburban store.

The discount retailer has submitted plans to build a 150,000-square-foot warehouse and detached gas station on the west side of Randall Route, just south of Route 64, officials said Friday.

As proposed, the development would be on about 15 acres south of the Zylstra Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership at 131 S. Randall Road. Folded together, the two would create a retail hub that city officials have envisioned at the intersection for years.

"It's really a quality operation, and it's certainly a sales-tax producer," said Bob Hupp, St. Charles community development director. "We'd be thrilled to have them in town."

A Costco representative could not be reached for comment. Hupp said the store could open as early as this fall, depending on how quickly construction begins.

"There's really nothing firm about an opening date," he said. "They (Costco) have just said they'd like to get moving. I'm assuming if you start in January, the soonest it could open would be in the fall."

Founded in 1976 as Price Club, Costco is a membership-only discount department store similar to Wal-Mart's Sam's Club. According to the company Web site, there are 12 stores within 50 miles of Chicago; the closest to St. Charles are in Naperville and Bloomingdale.

Hupp said Costco is buying the property from Zylstra. He described the detached gas station as a series of fuel pumps under a canopy and a small building. "There would be no convenience store type of operation with it," he said.

To move forward, the project needs the city council's blessing. No zoning changes would be required.

The council is expected to consider the proposal in coming weeks.