A hot topic, for a while now, is the construction of the newest Costco in Southwest Florida which will be just off Collier Boulevard in South Naples.
“This new Costco in Naples is going to be excellent — can’t wait to check it out,” said reader Wayne Rose. “When is it planned on being done and open?”
With more family-friendly attractions like the Great Wolf Lodge, Collier Boulevard has been bubbling with growth bursts, where commissioners last year approved a controversial Costco.
The 26-acre chosen site for the members-only warehouse club sits at the southeast corner of Collier Boulevard and Rattlesnake Snake Hammock Road, within the Hacienda Lakes Planned Unit Development. The plan submitted to the county shows a nearly 162,700-square-foot store, with about 820 parking spaces, and enough gas pumps to serve 24 vehicles at a time.
Once construction starts, it takes 110 days to build a Costco store, according to the big-box retailer’s longtime architects MG2, thanks to a highly efficient building process. But it might actually even take less time than that.
County officials recently said Costco is hoping to launch construction as soon as this month as part of a spring start goal of getting it done in about 100 days. Even though there’s still some moving parts, Collier folks are anticipating a ribbon cutting happening by early fall if all the pieces come together.
The enterprise received some opposition from nearby neighbors, who said they reached a settlement late last year with Costco. That’s expected to lead to enhanced signage to improve pedestrian safety and more landscaping plus a $35,000 donation to the Esplanade community for improvements that should make access easier for residents.
County records show Costco paid $19.4 million for its parcel last autumn. The county’s only Costco, off Naples Boulevard, north of Pine Ridge Road and west of Airport-Pulling Road, opened in 1999.
More conversations could come this year about a potential Costco along Cape Coral’s Pine Island Road corridor that officials have said the company has been eyeing without making public pronouncements. With zoning changes, the city of Fort Myers also cleared the way for a Costco replacement off Colonial Boulevard.
This article originally appeared on Marco Eagle: South Naples Costco could be ready to open by Fall
Reporting by Phil Fernandez, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Marco Eagle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
