New Costco Plans Underway In Lake Forest After Vote

LAKE FOREST, CA — Plans to construct a new Costco Wholesale building in south Orange County are moving forward, after the Lake Forest Planning Commission voted to approve the retail store's site development permit at a meeting last week.

Plans for building the county's 14th Costco were initially made known last summer, when the retail giant expressed its interest in constructing a new location to Lake Forest City officials, according to city public planning documents.

The new Costco will be located at 26602 Towne Center Drive, where a shuttered Regal Cinemas stands.

RELATED: Costco Wants To Open New Store In Lake Forest

To build the space, plans to demolish the movie theater at the Foothill Ranch Towne Centre — situated on a 16-acre site — were also passed by the Lake Forest Planning Commission Thursday.

Once built, the new Costco will be slightly larger than the average Costco, with plans for a tire center, surface-level parking, seasonal outdoor sales, food court and more.

According to The Orange County Register, cities generally welcome Costco's being built within city limits due to the significant sales tax revenues its huge stores generate. Annual sales can exceed $250 million, the report said.