Tucson Retail Jobs Created by Costco
A new department store could help create more Tucson retail jobs.
Eastbourne Investments Ltd. and Retail West recently unveiled development plans for a new Costco Wholesale to open on the south side of Tucson in March 2011. Although the developers still need city approval for grading and building plans, officials expect construction to be approved no later than March of this year.
According to an article by the Arizona Daily Star, the new Costco will be the third in the Tucson area. The store is part of a larger commercial project dubbed “The Bridges,” which also includes plans for the University of Arizona’s bioscience park and an upscale housing development.
As voted by the Tucson City Council in 2007, Eastbourne will be responsible for providing $2 million to pay for job training, business-assistance programs, neighborhood improvements, economic improvement grants to area nonprofit organizations and improvements to pedestrian access and roads. The city will provide $4.5 million in matching funds that it expects to collect from construction sales taxes.
The additional temporary and permanent jobs that will be created by the construction and opening of Costco will add to Tucson’s recovering economy. The city has added jobs on a monthly and yearly basis as of late as its unemployment rate decreases.
During November 2009, Tucson’s unemployment rate decreased from 8.4 percent to 7.8 percent, following an increase from 8.3 percent during October. That decrease places the city’s unemployment rate lower than the national rate of 10 percent.
Tucson had a total non-farm employment of 364,700 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 361,600 workers during October, but a 3.8 percent decrease from November 2008.
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