A proposed Costco on the Shafter-Bakersfield border is generating excitement among nearby residents, along with worries about how much more traffic the project could bring during construction and after it opens.
The nearly 185,000-square-foot Costco Wholesale is proposed for Seventh Standard Road and Calloway Drive, near the border of Shafter. It would be the third Costco in Bakersfield.
Plans for the development also include 10 total buildings, with 40,800 square feet of retail, commercial and restaurant uses spread across eight separate buildings. The area already sees high traffic in the morning, including along Calloway Drive.
“I am for it, except for the traffic. Trying to get on my street, we need a designated turning lane just to get into our neighborhood. I do like the thought of Costco being on Seventh Standard. There’s a lot of traffic on there, but my concern is the traffic in my neighborhood,” said Maria, a nearby resident.
Other neighbors who declined to go on camera shared similar concerns.
Developer Jim Halferty said the construction plan includes widening two-lane Calloway Drive to four lanes and providing needed infrastructure. Halferty, who is based in Pasadena, declined to go on camera, but said, “The traffic has been carefully evaluated, and the city is requiring many appropriate traffic calming measures to assure everyone that traffic flows smoothly into and out of the shopping center.”
Halferty Development Company also has two other projects in Bakersfield: one at Stockdale Highway and Buena Vista Road, and another at Panama Lane and Old River Road. Halferty said, “Costco considers Bakersfield one of their primary locations. They do exceptionally well. They’re excited for their third location in Bakersfield.”
Bakersfield City Councilman Bob Smith said he believes the project will pass environmental reviews and that the roads are able to handle that type of development.