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Costco Case Study Findings <br /> Case study research in select California communities with Costco stores provides some insight into <br /> the potential for more granular store impacts than results from the study's quantitative analysis. <br /> This includes research in Livermore, where the Costco store opened in 1993 but where gasoline <br /> sales were added within the past 5 years, plus Hayward and Huntington Beach, which have some <br /> sales base comparability to Pleasanton and newer Costco stores opened in 2009 and 2012, <br /> respectively. The case study findings indicate that none of the cities noted negative impacts on the <br /> existing business community associated with Costco, including the small business community, <br /> downtown, gas stations, or food stores. In the case of Huntington Beach, the Costco store was <br /> instead seen as a catalyst for small business development and area economic development, with <br /> spin-off benefits noted for other, previously struggling retail districts. <br /> These case study findings indicate that other communities of a similar scale to Pleasanton did not <br /> experience negative impacts on their retail community when local Costco stores were developed. <br /> This includes no reported small business community impacts or impacts on gasoline stations. <br /> Therefore, these findings suggest the study conclusion that the Project's Phase I development could <br /> result in food store sales impacts is a conservative conclusion, not borne out by the experience in <br /> comparable cities. <br /> Secondary Impacts <br /> In addition to sales impacts throughout the Project's market area, there will be potential for more <br /> localized secondary impacts on the businesses located in the area proposed for the Johnson Drive <br /> EDZ. These include a higher volume of traffic through the area impacting employees and <br /> customers as well as existing businesses encountering a more competitive environment when <br /> seeking land or building acquisition for expansion purposes. Yet there are also potential beneficial <br /> impacts including traffic-related benefits associated with enhanced visibility of existing businesses, <br /> the proximate availability of low cost club retail merchandise and gasoline, other shopping and <br /> eating opportunities close to work, and possible long-term property value increases associated with <br /> economic development improvements throughout the area. Thus, as noted in the Huntington <br /> Beach Costco case study, Project development could serve as a catalyst for economic development, <br /> bringing shoppers to an area that was previously underutilized, and creating synergistic <br /> opportunities for business growth. <br /> Cumulative Project Sales Impacts <br /> ALH Economics identified 12 potential cumulative retail development projects in or near the market <br /> area. Cumulative projects are defined as retail developments that have the potential to generate <br /> net new retail sales that may be competitive with the Project, especially sales generated by market <br /> area consumers. Of these 12 projects, eight are anticipated to be completed by the end of 2018, <br /> concurrent with the Project's Phase I. The remaining four projects have unknown timing because <br /> they are either in very early planning stages or are phased projects that do not have estimated <br /> starting dates for the outstanding retail portion. These projects are assumed to be completed by the <br /> Project's Full Buildout timeframe. <br /> The cumulative projects will have their own unique market areas, so only a portion of the <br /> cumulative project retail space will be competitive with the Project or relate to the market area sales <br /> Johnson Drive EDZ Urban Decay 5 ALH Urban & Regional Economics <br />