A proposed Costco and gas bar in Waterloo’s west end will be before council tonight.

The proposed site, at 924 and 930 Erb Street West, would include approximately 6,000 square metres of commercial retail space as well as a 13,750 square metre Costco.

However, many have cited concerns over how quickly things are progressing.

“You have this conflict between what the community wants in terms of service, and what it’s going to look like on the ground”, said Karen Scian, City of Waterloo Ward 2 councillor. “I can tell you in my eight years on council that the number one concern from people is traffic, traffic, traffic. It’s traffic on Columbia, it’s traffic on Erbsville, it’s traffic on Ira Needles, it’s all about traffic.”

The proposed location of the site along Erb Street will without a doubt cause a traffic nightmare for some time. The Costco is to be situated across the street from the landfill, where several infrastructure improvements have been proposed, including two roundabouts at two entrances of the landfill. However, the improvements which also include the widening of Ira Needles from now through 2016 and the widening of Erb Street West to four lanes in front of the site, won’t be ready in time for the opening of the store.

“For the past eight years every little bit of development that has come in on the west side, we’ve asked repeatedly for an over-arching all encompassing study of the traffic on the west side, and it always, always, gets refused by the Region of Waterloo“, said Scian. “I’ve kind of hit my breaking point on this issue and it really has nothing to do with the Costco itself. It has to do with the fact that we have just layered traffic issue on top of traffic issue on top of traffic issue.”

Scian says it’s not about being anti-Costco. In fact, she recognizes that many in the community want the store and admits that having a Costco in the west end would have some benefits.

“My neighbourhood is full of young families. And those young families would be perfect customers. I have friends and relatives who will drive across the city to Kitchener to get one Costco item.”

However, Scian says the Kitchener Costco is a perfect example of how a big department store can impact traffic. Anyone that’s been near the store on a Saturday or Sunday morning can tell you about the traffic delays. And as Scian points out, that’s besides it being near the Expressway and the 401.

A recent report posted by the city shows that any development on the proposed site, not necessarily just the Costco, would impact traffic significantly in the surrounding area from opening day this fall through 2024.

“By approving this Costco, we’re committing to wait times, congestion and back ups. This has to be done with the understanding that that’s what we’re singing up for”, said Scian.

Residents in Waterloo’s west end don’t mind the proposal of a Costco moving in to the land across from the land fill on Erb Street West.

What they will mind is the increased traffic volume, which some say is already too much.

Others shrug off the traffic woes, because it will be more convenient to shop locally than travel to the location in Kitchener’s south end.