Legacy Options Costco Site as Alternate Hospital Property

VANCOUVER, WA-Legacy Health System, looking for the right spot to develop a $170-million hospital, has optioned the site for which Costco Wholesale recently was unable to gain approval for one of its warehouse stores. At 24 acres, the site is 11 acres larger than Legacy’s existing proposed development site, and therefore able to accommodate more growth in the future.

Legacy now has about 45 days to acquire the site, located at near the intersection of Northeast 20th Avenue and 139th Street as an alternate location to a site it already owns on 134th Street, about one mile away from the Costco site.

Legacy applied with the state last spring to build a new hospital in the Salmon Creek area. The application is being reviewed by the state’s Certificate of Need Program. Approval or denial is expected sometime in January.A couple of months ago, Costco Wholesale Corp. saw its application to build a 148,000-sf store on the aforementioned property because of the traffic problems it would create. Costco has appealed the decision to a county hearings examiner.