Empire Center Costco to open

Karen S. Kim

NORTHWEST DISTRICT -- After months of construction and preparation,

the finishing touches are being added to the newest site of Costco

Wholesale.

The one-story, 150,205-square-foot “big box” store with 775 parking

spaces will be the first retail firm to open as part of the eagerly

anticipated Burbank Empire Center.

“This is an opportunity to get in a great location,” Burbank Chamber

of Commerce President Susan Bowers said. “The existing Costco is on the

edge of Burbank, and this gets them into Burbank property.”

Burbank’s first Costco, at 10950 Sherman Way, borders Burbank and Sun

Valley. But after Oct. 3, when the new, larger site opens, the wholesale

store will stand on a corner of the busy intersection of Victory and

Burbank boulevards.

City officials have high hopes for Costco’s new location.

“It’s expected that in the new location at the larger size that this

Costco will do even better than the existing Costco, which does very well

for the city,” Community Development Director Sue Georgino said.

Burbank’s Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the store’s new location

with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. Oct. 3. After the ribbon is cut,

Costco will open its new doors to the public for the first time.

And Costco’s opening is only the beginning.

Several other Burbank Empire Center retail facilities are expected to

quickly follow in Costco’s footsteps.

Target, Lowe’s and Linens ‘N’ Things all are expected to open in the

weeks immediately following Costco’s grand opening, and other attractions

-- including Krispy Kreme, Great Outdoors, Sportmart, Hometown Buffet and

Michaels -- will round out the 103-acre Burbank Empire Center project.

The Burbank Empire Center is bounded by Empire Avenue to the north,

Buena Vista Street to the west, the MetroLink rail tracks to the south

and Victory Place to the east. The $250-million project includes a

400,000-square-foot office park and 620,000 square feet of retail space.

Zelman Development Co., developer of the project, could not be reached

for comment.