EAGLE, Idaho — After Idaho News 6's previous report on the proposed Costco near Highway 55 and Hill Road in Eagle, neighbors living closer to the site reached out, saying they wanted their concerns heard, too.
Since December 2025, Idaho News 6 has been following Costco's proposal to build a warehouse and fuel facility on a 27-acre site off Highway 55 and Hill Road. In January, the City of Eagle received Costco's full application, which includes traffic plans, economic impact estimates, and design documents. In December, neighbors packed a community meeting hosted by Costco, raising questions about traffic, safety, and the future of the area.
Watch to hear neighbors' concerns on Eagle's proposed Costco.
Shaun Scully lives about a mile from the proposed site and said he first heard about the proposal roughly 5 to 6 months ago. After seeing Idaho News 6's previous story featuring Avimor neighbors who supported the idea, he reached out to share a different perspective.
"A Costco, which is like a vortex, it draws people in from all over, I mean miles," Scully said.
He said Highway 55 and Hill Road is already one of the busiest corners in Idaho, and that the people who would benefit most from a nearby Costco — those coming down from Avimor and other foothills communities — would leave the traffic and its consequences to the people who live closest to the site.
Scully said there are three schools within about a mile radius of the proposed location, and that the area already sees heavy traffic from school buses, parents dropping off and picking up children, and kids on foot.
"This town Eagle is different than Meridian. It's different than Boise, Nampa, Caldwell. It's its own place. It shouldn't be filled with great big box stores all over the place. It has its own unique small-town charm. I don't want to give that up to be like other places," Scully said.
Scully said Highway 55 is already a destination corridor for outdoor recreation and travel to McCall, and questioned whether adding Costco traffic to that road makes sense.
In an interview at the Optimist Youth Sports Complex — a park down the road from the proposed development — Scully said the impact on the surrounding area would be felt well beyond the immediate intersection.
"There are literally probably thousands of parents and kids in this park on weekends. It's gonna impact the traffic there. This has been here first. Costco is definitely gonna impact that. It's gonna have an effect probably within at least a 2-mile radius, whether you go west, north, east, or south," Scully said.
He also raised concerns about property values for residents near the proposed site and suggested the land could be used for something that serves the community without generating the same traffic burden.
"Let's not try to make Eagle like every other town in America with these big box stores and all the traffic that goes with it. Maybe that space could be used for something beautiful, like a park, maybe some kind of arboretum, something that could educate the public about what life was here before this became developed," Scully said.
His message to city leaders, county leaders, and Costco is direct.
"Once you go and build the box store, the warehouse store, there's no taking it back. Once the quality of life lessens, goes down, you can't get it back," Scully said.
"Is it more important to get cheap hot dogs and steaks, or is the quality of life more important? How do you put a price on that and to the people and to the future, what price do they pay?" Scully said.
Ray Gillenwater, president of the Bonita Hills HOA, said his biggest concern is whether the area's current roads and intersections can handle the traffic projected in Costco's own traffic study. According to that study, submitted to the City of Eagle, the proposed development is projected to generate nearly 7,000 weekday vehicle trips and more than 8,000 Saturday trips, with peak Saturday traffic estimated at 900 vehicles in a single hour.
"If there's 900 extra cars in the hour, and a funeral procession and a soccer game, and kids trying to play at the park. How can this area support that amount of traffic?" Gillenwater said.
He said the neighborhoods along Horseshoe Bend Road are bordered by government land on the other side, leaving residents with no alternative exit routes.
"We will not be able to get out of this place. We will be landlocked," Gillenwater said.
Gillenwater said the four-way stop at the bottom of Horseshoe Bend Road is already dangerous with current traffic levels, and that the slope of the road descending to State Street makes the proposed roundabout solution impractical.
"The four-way stop is already dangerous with the current traffic that we have, plus 7,000 cars; that's a deadly situation. If you look at the slope of the stop sign that descends from Horseshoe Bend Road down to State Street, that slope can't support a roundabout. When it gets icy, people are just gonna be sliding and slipping everywhere," Gillenwater said.
He also raised concerns about the process itself.
"My dream would be that someone from the city, or from the county or even from Costco is interested in engaging with us in good faith. That has not been the case so far," Gillenwater said.
He said the question his HOA board has been asking is one he wants the broader community to consider.
"What do you want Eagle to be? If you ask the residents that question, do you want Eagle to be a quiet neighborhood where you can raise your family or retire, or do you want Eagle to be a place that has high traffic commercial warehouse stores?" Gillenwater said.
ITD told Idaho News 6 it would be open to working with Costco and the city to address traffic impacts, adding that Costco has been a good partner in the past. ACHD said it would provide roadway and traffic recommendations tied to the development. Both agencies said they cannot take action and do not have a say on whether the project moves forward until the City of Eagle has made its final decision.
The City of Eagle has not yet scheduled a public hearing on the proposed Costco. Idaho News 6 will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.
