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Planning commission recommends approval for Costco fuel-station expansion in Cascade Charter Township
Summary
The Cascade Charter Township Planning Commission recommended approval March 16 of a PUD amendment allowing Costco to add six fuel dispensers (12 fueling positions), a 40,000‑gallon tank and a reconfigured exit at 5100 28th Street SE; commissioners pressed the applicant on queuing, pedestrian safety and canopy signage.
Cascade Charter Township’s Planning Commission voted March 16 to recommend approval of a planned unit development amendment that would expand the fuel facility at the Costco Wholesale at 5100 28th Street SE.
Staff told the commission the project would add six fueling dispensers (12 fueling positions), install a new 40,000‑gallon underground storage tank and shift the fuel‑facility egress to the northwest corner of the site. The project would reconfigure circulation, add a crosswalk to connect the site to the sidewalk to the south, remove 16 trees for construction and replant all 16 within the site. Staff reported the revised layout would leave the site compliant with parking requirements — at 745 spaces, between the ordinance minimum of 584 and the maximum of 752 — and concluded the proposal meets the PUD standards in Section 16.03. Staff recommended forwarding a favorable recommendation to the township board while leaving certain items, such as the number of canopy signs, for commission deliberation.
Applicant representative Josh Beach of Core States Group introduced the project team, and KDSON traffic engineer Barbara Moer presented queuing data. Moer said KDSON’s Costco‑specific database shows that when fueling capacity is increased, “the queues generally do get a lot shorter,” and that the firm expects the proposed expansion to reduce queuing that could spill into the street. She added that temporary site‑management measures — cones and an attendant — could be used during peak periods if needed.
Multiple commissioners questioned whether shifting the exit and removing a row of parking to accommodate new pumps could push waiting vehicles into parking aisles or onto 28th Street at peak times, and raised pedestrian‑safety concerns for shoppers with carts. Staff said the township engineer reviewed the egress point and raised no major concerns; staff also noted the site contains space where temporary traffic management could mitigate peak‑hour queueing.
The applicant is also seeking a text amendment to permit four canopy signs (one on each elevation) where the current PUD language permits only two. Staff told the commission the canopy has four signs on site and that streetscape images from as early as 2016 show four signs, but staff could not find a record of a prior PUD amendment authorizing them.
After deliberation, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of case 26‑3912 for the PUD amendment, with the motion clarified to reference the existing four canopy signs; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote. The commission’s action is advisory; the township board will make the final decision on the PUD amendment and any PUD text changes.
