When a national retailer continues to return to the same engineering partner for decades, it says something.
Since the mid-1990s, Sunrise Engineering has partnered with Costco Wholesale to deliver warehouse stores, gas stations, truck depots, site redevelopments, and infrastructure solutions across Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and Montana.
This long-standing relationship demonstrates more than experience. It reflects trust, technical expertise, and consistent delivery in complex commercial land development.
Program Level Land Development Expertise
Sunrise has provided site design, bid support, and construction administration for multiple Costco warehouse establishments in several states. Typical sites range from 13 to 16 acres with 135,000 to 155,000 square foot warehouse buildings
Our scope has consistently included:
- Grading and drainage design
- Stormwater detention and infiltration systems
- Water and sewer plans
- Utility coordination and relocation
- ALTA surveys
- Construction management support
This programmatic consistency has allowed Sunrise to deeply understand Costco’s grading standards, parking requirements, utility expectations, and accelerated development timelines.
Solving Complex Stormwater Challenges
Many Costco projects required innovative drainage solutions due to municipal constraints.
In South Jordan, Utah, the city’s storm drain system did not have capacity to accept additional flows. Sunrise designed an onsite detention system that infiltrated stormwater into the ground and coordinated directly with UDEQ’s Underground Injection Control program.
In West Valley, Utah, shallow existing storm drain infrastructure required the use of a storm trap detention system instead of traditional pipe storage, along with significant underground utility relocation.
Earlier Salt Lake City projects required underground detention capable of handling 100-year storm events while releasing water at controlled rates into the city system.
These solutions demonstrate Sunrise’s ability to adapt national prototype development to local regulatory environments.
Managing Major Site Constraints
Costco sites often involve complex redevelopment or infrastructure constraints.
In South Ogden, Utah, Sunrise redeveloped an aging commercial site and designed over 9,500 square feet of retaining walls, some exceeding 20 feet in height, to meet strict parking slope standards.
In Pocatello, Idaho, Sunrise coordinated closely with a master developer to integrate utilities and site planning into a larger redevelopment effort.
At the 62-acre Salt Lake City Truck Depot, Sunrise engineered more than 1.1 million square feet of concrete pavement to support heavy truck traffic and addressed a high groundwater table by elevating pavement sections and integrating shallow detention ponds with subsurface piping.
These projects required not only technical design, but careful coordination with municipalities, state agencies, and adjacent developers.
Supporting Existing Facilities and Operational Stores
Sunrise’s partnership with Costco extends beyond new construction.
In Glendale, Arizona, Sunrise investigated parking lot settlement issues at an operating warehouse, identified root causes including sewer compaction and damaged storm pipe, and designed repairs while keeping the store open to customers.
In Prescott, Arizona, Sunrise worked with geotechnical teams to rehabilitate severely deteriorated pavement caused by extreme temperature swings and fill conditions, again maintaining store operations throughout construction.
This ability to work within active retail environments further demonstrates Sunrise’s practical field experience.
A Relationship Built on Performance
Across decades of collaboration, Sunrise Engineering has delivered consistent results on high visibility, high traffic commercial sites. Our engineers understand the operational demands of big box retail, the importance of precise grading standards, and the regulatory complexity of stormwater management in western states.
From 155,000 square foot warehouse developments to 306,000 square foot regional truck depots, Sunrise continues to provide civil engineering and land development services that support Costco’s growth.
When national retailers need a regional partner who understands local jurisdictions, complex infrastructure, and fast paced construction schedules, Sunrise Engineering delivers.
For developers and commercial property owners seeking an experienced land development engineering partner in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada or Colorado, Sunrise Engineering brings proven expertise backed by decades of real-world results.