Costco wants to move its warehouse in northwest Fresno three miles away to vacant land along Herndon Avenue. The warehouse retailer also wants major changes to the expressway.

In documents filed with the city, Costco asks for a change of Herndon from an expressway to a less-restricting super-arterial roadway. That would allow for a turnoff directly from Herndon into the new site.

“Doing so will allow for a driveway along Herndon (the direction of which has yet to be determined), as well as removing the restrictions related to building location and signage,” Costco said in its request to the city.

The Issaquah, Washington-based retailer said changing the designation of Herndon Avenue could include bike lanes and sidewalks.

“It’s a nonstarter,” said Fresno City Councilman Mike Karbassi.

Karbassi said he is concerned about congestion at the proposed new location at the southeast corner of Riverside Drive and Spruce Avenue — near the El Paseo shopping center.

“It is our company policy to not comment regarding future Costco warehouses until we are ready to share details about the new location (usually 2-3 months in advance),” a company spokesperson said in an email.

A listing of future openings does not show any future Fresno dates.

New Location, New Car Wash

Costco filed documents with the city showing a schematic map of the new location.

The new location would be on 22 acres and feature more than 178,000 square feet of retail space. It would also have 955 parking spaces. The current northwest Fresno Costco, at Shaw Avenue east of Golden State Boulevard, was built in 1985.

With a larger space, Costco would expand its gas stations and add a drive-thru car wash. No other Fresno/Clovis location has a car wash.

“It’s true that Costco’s growing customer base has outgrown the current location,” Karbassi said. “It is important to mitigate all negative impacts from any potential move while preserving those hundreds of jobs.” Karbassi said.

The West Shaw Avenue store often has heavy traffic that backs up beyond the train tracks and sometimes to Highway 99.

Last year, Costco relocated its Clovis warehouse to a site on Clovis Avenue, south of Shaw Avenue.