Warehouse store Costco wants to double in size over the next 10 years, and the Hanford/Lemoore area should get one down the road, said the general manager of Costco in Visalia.

On Thursday, Costco opened a new 160,000-square-foot store -- California's largest -- in Visalia.

"I've heard the Hanford/Lemoore area mentioned, it's something they're looking at," said Denny Carlisle, general manager of Costco in Visalia, about the Costco corporate office.

"It's only a matter of time," he said.

As the area's population grows, and as the Highway 198 expansion comes to fruition, Hanford and Lemoore become more attractive, said Carlisle.

Several calls to the Costco corporate office in Washington state were not returned.

Currently there are about 130 Costco stores in California, and 520 nationwide.

The new Costco in Visalia is 40 percent larger than the previous one built in 1990 and has 100 new employees.

"The way we do business in the last 17 years has changed, we really outgrew the old building," he said.

It features a gas station, a full-service deli and food court, a one-hour photo lab and a pharmacy, among other amenities.

"It's a one-stop shop," said Carlisle.

Located on West Cameron Avenue near the intersection of South Mooney Boulevard, the store opened on Thursday to the delight of bulk shoppers, who were already filling the parking lot at 7 a.m.

The previous Costco building located nearby on Mooney Boulevard has already been sold, but the buyer hasn't been disclosed, said Carlisle.

Shoppers who make their way to Costco this weekend should come with an empty stomach, as many local vendors will be on hand sampling their goods, he said.

While several shoppers outside Wal-Mart in Hanford said they would go to Costco if it opened in Hanford, others said the drive to Visalia makes the new store unappealing.

"I would love one here, but the membership throws me off, paying money to spend money," said Hanford resident Richard Leon. Costco charges an annual membership fee ranging from $50 to $100.

"Also the gas prices are too high to drive out there," he said.

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3043.

(Nov. 2, 2007)