I'll weigh in too.

Yes, on some level, every added house, service and store detracts little from the environment. And yet development is inevitable here on Kaua'i and every where else. I'm in favor of Costco for the same reasons that I was in favor of HD - namely that they both make life here just a little bit easier. There is no doubt that they will displace some existing businesses, but the total impact on the island; it's residents and visitors is positive.

I'm happy to see that both HD and Costco were placed in arguably the best traffic part of the island - would have been a disaster if either or both ended up in Kapaa for example.

Yes, I was happy to see HD open, and to see that they actually stock things (unlike Hale Kauai before them). As a prior poster mentioned there was a lot of negative chatter before they opened, after though I notice that nearly everyone does regular business there - despite the fact that the home grown alternatives remain for the most part.

I expect much the same with Costco. In addition I fully expect local competitors like Star and Big Save will make moves to remain healthy. Upgrading stores, adding features, perhaps even offering competitive prices from time to time(?).

Yep, I've been thinking about it pretty carefully and am now eagerly waiting for the groundbreaking and store opening. As to how fast, well I agree getting it done this year is a challenge. However, I also understand that Costco has store openings down to a science so I'm not betting against "fall" yet.

Aloha

Lihu'e 1k

Edited to clean up some grammar