Foes of Costco rally

As discussions continue on a proposed Costco discount store near Golden West College on land used for soccer, baseball and track, the opposition has been getting louder and more organized.

Though the proposed deal between the City of Huntington Beach, Golden West College and the mega retailer is in its earliest stages, neighbors fear the impact of a giant new store in their neighborhood. They have set up a website, savemcfadden.com, and they plan to speak in force at Coast Community College Board and Huntington Beach City Council meetings as long as is necessary.

Opponents of a Costco going in at McFadden Avenue and Goldenwest Street at the college are highly motivated and have plenty of expertise, said Westminster resident William Hugron, president of the savemcfadden.com group and a resident of a nearby housing tract.

“We have several professional commercial real estate experts, attorneys, and retired college professors who live here,” he said.

The group has 873 signatures on a petition against the deal, he said. They oppose it because part of the project would include low-income student housing. The new homes and the store would worsen traffic and crime in the area, they say.

And they have allies in Westminster. Westminster’s city council unanimously approved a resolution against the project.

“Not in my backyard — that’s not me,” Huntington Beach resident Robert Sternberg said at a recent Huntington Beach City Council meeting. “But there’s a term in football called piling on. You let the private interests overdevelop, and now it’s going to be all in one spot. The roads aren’t getting wider.”

The next board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12, in the Student Center Lounge at 15744 Golden West St.