Costco is quietly bulking up in north Columbus, snapping up roughly 2.1 acres next to its Polaris warehouse in a move that could reshape one of the city's busiest shopping zones. The newly acquired land sits in the retail cluster around Exit 121 on Interstate 71 and could eventually support more fueling, extra parking or an outparcel building.
On March 25, 2026, Columbus Business First reported that Costco bought the roughly 2.1-acre parcel immediately adjacent to its existing Polaris warehouse as part of an expansion push at the site. The outlet described the deal as a concrete step in the retailer’s long-running interest in deepening its presence in the Polaris trade area.
City zoning records show that the 1500 Gemini Place parcel, located at the northwest corner of Gemini Place and Lyra Drive, has been tied to Costco's Polaris ambitions for years. A 2005 rezoning cleared the way for retail fuel sales there, and a "Costco Wholesale Preliminary Site Plan" is on file with the City of Columbus zoning records. Those older approvals help explain why fueling has been baked into long-term thinking for the site.
Costco's own warehouse listing confirms that the Columbus location at 1500 Gemini Place already includes a gas facility, pharmacy and tire center, and notes that the warehouse opened in late 2006. According to Costco's Columbus warehouse listing, the site is already running fuel pumps and other member services, but the company has not shared a construction schedule or specific development plan for the newly purchased parcel.
What This Means For Polaris
Polaris is one of central Ohio’s most heavily trafficked retail corridors, with brokers and market materials routinely touting the Polaris Parkway and Gemini Place intersection as a high-traffic retail hub. Any extra acreage for Costco could alter how outparcels, driveway access and traffic flows are handled near I-71 Exit 121.
A market listing for Polaris Commons underscores the concentration of big-box retail and the high vehicle counts in the submarket, underscoring why even a couple of acres can matter for future site planning and competition in the area, according to Marcus & Millichap.
Costco has not released any construction details yet, and potential changes will still have to move through the usual city permitting and site-plan review process before any dirt turns. For now, the land buy signals continued investment in Polaris and gives local planners, developers and neighboring retailers one more variable to watch as the north Columbus retail scene keeps evolving.
