College board votes down Costco project

A controversial proposal to put a Costco discount store on the campus of Golden West College was scrapped Wednesday night as the Coast Community College Board voted unanimously to reject the plan. All five voting board members voted to reject putting a Costco there, further voting to boost community outreach efforts to prevent what they called a breakdown in communication.

“It seems to me we have not a good job of community outreach in our community,” Trustee Mary Hornbuckle said. “I’d like to see down the road a proposal for community outreach in this neighborhood. We obviously have sensitized people to development in this area.”

Their vote followed Golden West College President Wes Bryan’s recommendation not to take the deal, calling a 14-acre store too large for the campus. No amount of mitigating effort could solve some of the problems of traffic, safety, and space the deal would cause.

“After my review, I believe that while the proposal had potential, the footprint required is simply too large,” Bryan said. “It displaces too many of our athletic fields and parking spaces.”

None of the dozens of public speakers spoke in favor of the Costco.