Costco wants to come to Franklin and is hoping to open in 2026.
It would be the first Costco in Milwaukee County.
The retail giant is concepting a 162,000-square-foot retail facility including tire sales, a fueling station and more on the northwest corner of South 27th Street and West Drexel Avenue, according to a July 28 letter from GRAEF, a Milwaukee-based engineering, planning and design firm, to the City of Franklin. The retailer hopes to open by late 2026.
Costco Wholesale retained GRAEF to complete site development plans for the area, according to a July 3 letter from the firm to Franklin.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel previously reported on Costco’s interest in the Franklin site in May when a traffic impact analysis mentioning the retailer was discussed by the Franklin Common Council.
On Aug. 7, Franklin’s Plan Commission discussed a certified survey map splitting off the potential Costco parcel from the rest of the Northwestern Mutual Campus, creating two parcels.
Commissioners also discussed a comprehensive master plan amendment that would allow for a future zoning change and a planned unit development for the southeast corner of the property.
Both items passed unanimously.
Mayor John Nelson called this “an unbelievable opportunity for the City of Franklin” during the Aug. 7 meeting. He said other communities would love to be considered for this development and he called it the first step to spur development from 27th Street and Drexel Avenue to the south.
“(This development) will give us the spark we need to really develop that area that has some blighted areas. It has some areas that are embarrassing to our city; that’s how bad they look,” Nelson said. “This is awesome. Excellent.”
The development could sit on just over 20 acres subdivided from the existing 79.5-acre site, which Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company owns. The site includes stormwater ponds and a large prairie area intended for future development.
A staff report to the Plan Commission notes the plans are still conceptual and for full development a site plan application must be submitted for commission approval.
If constructed, this would be the first Costo in Milwaukee County. The retailer does have a presence in southeastern Wisconsin with stores in Grafton, Menomonee Falls, Pewaukee, New Berlin, and Pleasant Prairie.
Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County could get its first Costco, retailer hoping to open in Franklin in 2026
Reporting by Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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