A new Costco warehouse is poised to anchor a huge mixed-use development in south Hillsborough County near Apollo Beach, according to newly filed plans. The project is pitched as a blend of large-format retail, restaurants, office space, hotels and new housing that would cater to fast-growing neighborhoods on the county’s south side. County review is still pending, and no construction timeline has been announced.
Development plans submitted to Hillsborough County specifically identify Costco as the proposed anchor tenant, as reported by NewsRadio WFLA. That coverage casts the site as a larger mixed-use center rather than a simple standalone warehouse store and notes that the filing anticipates additional retail and hospitality pieces to complement the main club.
Permit details reviewed by the Tampa Bay Business Journal indicate the Costco would sit within a broader development along the Big Bend Road corridor. Local reporting pegs the store footprint at roughly 169,000 square feet, with plans for a fuel station and supporting outparcels. The Business Journal places the site near Covington Garden Drive and Big Bend Road in the southern Hillsborough market, an area that has seen steady residential growth.
Local review and traffic worries
County officials are expected to run the proposal through the standard planning and permitting process, and public meetings are likely as the project advances, according to NewsRadio WFLA. That reporting also notes the development would probably require infrastructure work, including roadway upgrades and traffic accommodations, to handle heavier shopping and delivery traffic if the project is approved.
How this fits Costco's expansion push
The Apollo Beach filing lines up with Costco’s broader growth strategy. The company has been pursuing dozens of new warehouses nationwide and has signaled roughly 26 to 28 net new openings this fiscal year while targeting about 30 plus per year going forward, according to recent earnings transcripts and financial coverage from Investing.com. That coverage shows the retailer is prioritizing new suburban trade areas where population growth and demand can support large membership clubs.
No construction schedule has been released and county officials have not granted final approval, per the Tampa Bay Business Journal. If the plan clears county review, the new warehouse would expand Costco’s footprint in the Tampa Bay region and give south Hillsborough residents closer access to membership-club shopping along with the jobs developments of this scale typically bring.
