Rev. David John Walkowiak, seated, takes part in his ordination and installation as the 12th bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Mich., on Tuesday at the Cathedral of St. Andrew. Walkowiak, an Ohio native, was most recently a priest at a parishA proposed multimillion-dollar wholesale outlet is another reminder that northeast Indiana’s business climate is seldom met with a chilly reception.
Costco Wholesale Corp. of Issaquah, Wash., wants to build a nearly 150,000-square-foot outlet on the former grounds of Seyfert Foods Inc.
The members-only store would carry various foods and merchandise, much of it in bulk.
The Fort Wayne Plan Commission will learn about the project during a 6 p.m. public hearing Sept. 10.
“It’s a statement about Fort Wayne and Indiana’s very favorable business climate,” said Mike Landram, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. “Several good years of good policy at the state level, corporate reduction in taxes and things like these enhances our spot on site selectors.”
Landram added that the Summit City has a strong consumer economy and “Costco is looking to locate here because it would be a regional draw.”
“You would get people from Ohio and throughout northeast Indiana,” he said.
A Costco spokesman said the business would not comment on the development until after it receives approval from city planners.
The company intends to build at the northwest corner of Lima and Progress roads, according to paperwork filed with the city this week. Costco began in 1983 in Seattle.
It has more than 600 locations worldwide, employing 160,292 workers. The business recorded about $89 billion in revenue in 2011.
In a related development, Kelley Chevrolet also will relocate near the Costco grounds. In March, DeHaven Chevrolet dropped a lawsuit trying to stop General Motors Co.’s endorsement of Kelley’s move from East State Boulevard to the intersection of Lima Road and Interstate 69.
Under a 2001 Indiana law, dealerships were prohibited from moving to within six miles of an existing competitor of the same brand, but during this year’s legislative session, state lawmakers led by Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, changed the law.
