On April 25, the Idaho Falls City Council unveiled new plans for retail giant Costco to add a location in Idaho Falls. The proposition received a unanimous yes from the council. The new store will be a part of  the “Economic Development Incentive Program”. The new building location is planned to be at the northwest corner of Lincoln Road and 25th East, next to the Evans Grain plant. The plans include a main building of roughly 200,000 square feet and a gas station with twenty to thirty fuel stations. Construction is expected to begin late September 2019 and finish up August of 2020.

    With the addition of Costco off of Lincoln road there arises a major traffic concern as there is only a roundabout to keep traffic moving smoothly. Also the proposed location is outside of Idaho Falls city limits. With this problem the city council is also looking at plans to expand city limits to accommodate Costco as well as other developments and businesses currently outside of city limits.

    While there are some problems, the addition of Costco to Idaho Falls brings many good things with it as well. The new store is expected to bring over one hundred jobs with full benefits and pay going over fifteen dollars per hour.

    When students at Thunder Ridge where asked which they prefer, seventy percent said Costco, while thirty percent chose Sam’s Club or Costco. Many of them are excited for an Idaho Falls location instead of an hour drive to Pocatello for their location.