Plans for state’s 1st Costco site approved

Retailer set for west Little Rock

City planning commissioners approved Thursday plans for wholesale retailer Costco’s first Arkansas location in west Little Rock.

The panel approved the preliminary plat for the 31.81-acre site at the southwest corner of Chenal Parkway and Kirk Road as well as the developer’s application for the property to be rezoned as a new planned commercial district.

The site’s previous designation as a planned commercial district had expired, according to city documents.

The city’s Planning and Development Department staff had recommended approval of both requests.

Plans include the 165,093-square-foot warehouse with an area for optical examinations and a tire center, as well as an attached liquor store, should the retailer obtain a full liquor permit, according to the application. The site also includes a free-standing gas station.

The facility plans to employee about 200 to 250 people, offering both fulltime and part-time positions.

Costco’s building and 743 parking spaces would take up about 21 acres, with the rest of the site available for developing six lots for separate businesses.

The outparcels are zoned as general commercial district, which allows development of a broad

range of general sales and service uses, according to city code.

The store’s hours will be from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The site is currently undeveloped, though most of it was cleared in the past in preparation for commercial development. There are a mixture of commercial uses located north and east of the site, with undeveloped property to the south and single-family residents and more undeveloped property to the west.

The plans will next go before the Little Rock Board of Directors for final approval.

With an Arkansas location, the membership-only retailer will make its entry into the last state in the region that it doesn’t already have at least one store in.

Mayor Frank Scott Jr. cheered the development when details of the plans became

public in April, adding that the location “has great visibility and access.”

“We’re appreciative that a national wholesale warehouse such as Costco has chosen Little Rock as a place they want to do business,” Scott said on social media

April 27.

Thursday’s meeting marked the first time the Little Rock Planning Commission has convened in months, with some members participating virtually in order to practice social distancing during the covid-19 pandemic.