Costco

Costco opened its first store in Huntington Beach at Bella Terra at 8 a.m. Wednesday. It had been more than two years since the warehouse chain officials began planning to open the 7562 Center Ave. location. The store features a gas station, bakery, fresh meat and produce, an optical department, tire center, hearing aid center and food court, among other services. Mayor Don Hansen and Councilman Joe Carchio were among the city officials who attended the grand opening.

It's almost time for Surf City residents to shop at their own Costco. After more than two years of talks and planning, the warehouse chain is expected to open its first Huntington Beach store at Bella Terra at 8 a.m. on May 2. "The entire city of Huntington Beach is excited about Costco coming to our community," said Mayor Don Hansen. "We're looking forward to having that option in our city versus traveling to other cities to have the experience they deliver. " For Costco, investing in Huntington Beach has been on the agenda for more than just two years.

Huntington Beach is one step closer to getting its first Costco after it received the green light Tuesday night from the Planning Commission. The commission unanimously approved a 154,113-square-foot store to be built alongside a four-story building with commercial use on the ground floor and 467 residential units on top floors just west of Bella Terra and east of the Union Pacific Railroad. The project must now go before the City Council for approval. The Costco at 7601 Edinger Ave. would have an attached tire-installation center, a 16-pump gas station and an outdoor food sales with an eating area.

A bulk superstore could be coming to town to fill one of the empty buildings at Bella Terra. The city’s first Costco is expected to replace the former Mervyns building on the northern end of Bella Terra at 7777 Edinger Ave. The 154,000-square-foot store would include a bakery and a gas station. The opening is expected to create more than 200 jobs. This is the second food store expected to open in Bella Terra. It was announced in November that Whole Foods Market would be taking over the old Circuit City space.

Golden West College’s president said a controversial proposal to build a Costco on 14 acres of college land just has too many drawbacks. Rather than accept a $2 million deal that local residents have denounced, he suggested the board look into projects about half that size for uses like student or faculty housing, or possibly new classrooms. College President Wes Bryan announced Dec. 6 that he would recommend the Coast Community College District board reject the proposal, and the board met Wednesday evening to hear his findings.

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.

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.

A large mass will take over the Costco in Huntington Beach this weekend, but it's not a tumor. Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign copies of his tell-all autobiography, "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story," at the store on Saturday morning as the conclusion of his book tour. John Checa, assistant general manager of the store, said store employees are "excited" about the event. "It's a brand-new location, and we don't really market ourselves as media marketing," he said.

Costco opened its first store in Huntington Beach at Bella Terra at 8 a.m. Wednesday. It had been more than two years since the warehouse chain officials began planning to open the 7562 Center Ave. location. The store features a gas station, bakery, fresh meat and produce, an optical department, tire center, hearing aid center and food court, among other services. Mayor Don Hansen and Councilman Joe Carchio were among the city officials who attended the grand opening.

It's almost time for Surf City residents to shop at their own Costco. After more than two years of talks and planning, the warehouse chain is expected to open its first Huntington Beach store at Bella Terra at 8 a.m. on May 2. "The entire city of Huntington Beach is excited about Costco coming to our community," said Mayor Don Hansen. "We're looking forward to having that option in our city versus traveling to other cities to have the experience they deliver. " For Costco, investing in Huntington Beach has been on the agenda for more than just two years.

The Huntington Beach City Council approved reductions in lifeguard services, cuts to downtown police patrols and helicopter flight time and axing the Fire Department's summer ambulance to fill a $3-million budget gap. The council approved a $301,136,077 budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, with about $3 million in cuts to services and personnel and a 10% reduction to City Council members' stipends. The city has made about $20 million in cuts over the last two years and implemented a retirement-incentive program that is projected to save the city about $11 million over the next couple of years.

Huntington Beach is one step closer to getting its first Costco after it received the green light Tuesday night from the Planning Commission. The commission unanimously approved a 154,113-square-foot store to be built alongside a four-story building with commercial use on the ground floor and 467 residential units on top floors just west of Bella Terra and east of the Union Pacific Railroad. The project must now go before the City Council for approval. The Costco at 7601 Edinger Ave. would have an attached tire-installation center, a 16-pump gas station and outdoor food sales with an eating area.

Name: Jim Katapodis Age: 54 Birth place: San Francisco How long have you lived in Huntington Beach? More than 20 years Occupation: police supervisor with the Los Angeles Police Department Education: associate's degree from Golden West College Previously elected or appointed positions: member of the Board of Directors, Westminster Community Theater; member of the Executive Board...

A bulk superstore could be coming to town to fill one of the empty buildings at Bella Terra. The city’s first Costco is expected to replace the former Mervyns building on the northern end of Bella Terra at 7777 Edinger Ave. The 154,000-square-foot store would include a bakery and a gas station. The opening is expected to create more than 200 jobs. This is the second food store expected to open in Bella Terra. It was announced in November that Whole Foods Market would be taking over the old Circuit City space.

While often the closure of a large retailer is cause for alarm, observers of the Levitz store on Edinger Avenue see opportunity. But a complicated chain of who owns and leases the property stands in the way of an easy solution on a coveted piece of land, officials said. Levitz Furniture stores across the county shut down recently as part of the New York-based retailer’s bankruptcy filings. The Huntington Beach store at 7441 Edinger Ave., next to the Bella Terra shopping center, shut its doors Sunday after last-minute sales.