Woodland Hills is on pace to get a new Costco store — and it won’t look like all the others. After years of consideration and public debate, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission on Oct. 27 approved plans for a 145,000-square-foot store, located at the corner of Victory Boulevard and Owensmouth Avenue. The wholesale retailer will anchor the proposed $450 million multi-use development, called the Village at Westfield Topanga project, planned for the area between Westfield Topanga and Westfield Promenade. The project plans will be presented to the city council for final approval in the coming months. Costco warehouses are known for offering members discounted prices on brand name merchandise as well as the private label Kirkland Signature products. The retailer currently has nine stores in the greater Valley region, including locations in Simi Valley, Canoga Park and Northridge. The Washington-based company reported net sales of $27.6 billion for the fiscal 2011 fourth quarter, ended Aug. 28, a 17 percent increase from $23.59 billion last year. It also announced last month plans to open seven additional warehouses, including one relocation, next year. Construction of the Costco store, slated to begin early next year, is part of the first phase of the larger retail development, which is planned for completion in 2013 and will include shops, landscaped walkways and restaurants. The Canoga Park store is located a few miles away from the proposed Woodland Hills location. Community officials say the store’s lease expires in 2014, and it is unclear whether that store will shut down. The Woodland Hills store, which will employ between 300 and 400 employees, is one of three in a multiple center agreement between Australia-based Westfield Group and Costco. A store in Sarasota, Fla., is planned for completion next year and a location in Wheaton, Md., will follow in 2013. After countless revisions and more than 200 meetings with residents and city officials, Larry Green, senior vice president of U.S development for Westfield, said the feedback and suggestions he received helped shape the final product. The new Costco will be a newer and more modern model that will complement the aesthetics of the Village to be “pedestrian friendly.” Since word first went out about Westfield’s partnership with Costco, many have voiced their opinions about the store’s industrial design. Others have noted concerns about the retailer’s impact on the community, including traffic and a 20-pump gas station that is included in the project. “We stressed to Westfield and Costco the need for the best project we can get,” said Scott Silverstein, who serves on the Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council. The council pushed for several aesthetic improvements. The store’s exterior design will offer relief to large expanses of blank walls by adding panels, varied materials and trellises, along with awnings and wall murals, said Katy Dickey, spokeswoman for Westfield. And although the Costco will sport a fresh new exterior, the building itself will include amenities typical to its other locations, such as a filling station, tire-installation shop and auto sales center. Gerardo Palos, president of the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council, said planning commissioners requested that Westfield make the filling station more aesthetically pleasing. Westfield responded with a design that includes a canopy over the gas station. The building’s architecture will also include meandering sidewalks, a dedicated bike path and a courtyard defined by earth berms, meant to shield the fueling station from view, Dickey said. Green said the company strategically chose to feature 20 pumps for the filling station to assist in mitigating traffic in the structure’s lot. And the new concept and design for Costco will complement its high-end neighboring retailers. “The building will be right across the street from retailers like Nordstrom, so we have to make sure the look and feel is consistent with Topanga and the rest of the Village,” Green said.
New Valley Costco to Feature Eye-Catching Exterior
