Mayor Kevin Davis says Costco is coming to Brantford but it will take time to fully develop the site at the Lynden Park Mall so the big box store can be built.
The city on Tuesday announced that it has received a third site plan submission that proposes a Costco with a maximum floor area of 15,105 square meters and an associated gas bar.
The mayor said in an interview that the third plan was filed by Costco, while two previous versions were filed by the owner of the mall.
“That’s very significant,” said Davis, noting that that points to the fact Costco and the mall owner have reached an agreement after more 18 months of “intense negotiations.”
Costco also has submitted a full building application to the city.
But because the proposed Costco site, which sits at the southwest point of the mall property, is essentially vacant land, much must be done before the store can be built, said the mayor.
“The application doesn’t just get rubber-stamped,” said Davis.
“It has to go through the building code, fire code and be examined for compliance with the site plan. Then there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to that site – grading, drainage, sewer work, roads, water and electrical hookups.
“This is a major reconstruction of the site.”
The site plan submission to the city includes architectural, civil engineering, electrical, landscape and survey plans, along with transportation reports.
There are two major road changes that will be made: the Ministry of Transportation confirmed last month that it plans to improve the off-ramp from Highway 403 at Wayne Gretzky Parkway. Davis said the plan is to widen the ramp so it provides two lanes turning north toward the mall.
Another road will be created to enter the mall property, right near where the tourism center building sits, allowing direct access to the warehouse and gas bar. That road will only allow entry from northbound traffic.
The current mall entrance at Edmondson Street will be improved after it was deemed insufficient to accommodate an increase in traffic. The mall has another three entrances, including one off Woodyatt Drive.
“I know this (delay) is frustrating for people but the positive news is we’re light years ahead of where we were three years ago,” said Davis.
“I want to be realistic in that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”
Costco has previously said it will not confirm any store until planning issues are finalized.
There have been discussions about Costco coming to Brantford since 2011.
In 2014, Costco was linked to a 6.7-hectare property at Morton Avenue and Wayne Gretzky Parkway purchased by a property developer.
Despite a site plan and extensive negotiations, plans were scuttled when the Ministry of Transportation raised concerns about increased traffic from Costco backing up traffic on the nearby Highway 403 interchange. The property eventually was put back on the market.
Three years ago this month, Costco senior executives came to Brantford to examine the property at the mall and sat down to discuss logistics with Davis.
“There were issues with that site, too, but a great advantage was that it was already zoned for retail, so the focus became that property.”
Davis said the transportation ministry still had concerns about the mall plan that required “significant involvement” from Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma.
Along with a plan to widen the highway off-ramp and create a new entrance from the Gretzky parkway, the city had to commit to an expansion of the parkway to six lanes from four, said the mayor, noting that that plan already was in long -term discussions due to development in the north end but now is included in the city’s capital plan.
Davis said a Costco store will provide an economic boost to the city and improve a piece of commercial land that wasn’t being used.
“There could be an effect on small businesses but the same thing could be said about building a mall,” he said.
“A Costco will actually bring new customers to Brant from Six Nations, Haldimand and Norfolk. The mall obviously wants Costco because it knows it will generate traffic for other businesses.”
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