A proposed 158,000-square-foot Costco Wholesale warehouse with gas pumps could soon rise on a 40.44-acre stretch of U.S. 27 in unincorporated Davenport, landing the retail giant in the middle of two of its biggest competitors. The project is still in the pre-planning stages, according to Polk County records and media reports, meaning no groundbreaking, opening date, or final design has been confirmed.
The site sits on U.S. 27 at Heller Brothers Boulevard near Ernie Caldwell Boulevard, according to the Lakeland Ledger. The land is owned by Heller Highway 27 LLC, a Winter Garden-based company, per Polk Property Appraiser's Office records cited in the report. The proposal also leaves room for three additional businesses on the property's outparcels, suggesting the warehouse could anchor a broader retail buildout if the project moves forward.
Wedged Between Two Wholesale Rivals
What makes the location notable is its placement between two existing wholesale competitors. A BJ's already operates in Posner Park on the other side of Ernie Caldwell Boulevard, fronting Interstate 4, while a Sam's Club is currently under construction nearby, according to the same report. If built, the Costco would put all three wholesale clubs within close reach of one another along the busy U.S. 27 corridor.
Costco has not confirmed any plans for the Davenport site. A Costco Wholesale Corp. media contact told the outlet the company did not have any information about the proposed location and referred the reporter to Costco's store-location page. The retailer operated 939 warehouses as of October, including 647 across the United States and Puerto Rico, the report noted.
Polk County's Growth Keeps Drawing Retailers
The potential Costco is just the latest retail interest in the stretch of U.S. 27 running through Polk County. A Walmart is already in the works on former orange groves along the same highway, just north of Ridgewood Lakes Boulevard, according to theledger.com. A separate retail center anchored by a 55,400-square-foot Rooms To Go store was also proposed in 2024 on 21 acres near Florida Development Road, according to GrowthSpotter. That project required a traffic study because U.S. 27 had a poor level of service at the location, the outlet reported.
The growth isn't a mystery. Polk County's population is nearing 850,000 and could surpass 1 million by 2030, according to researchers from the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research cited by Bay News 9. The Lakeland-Winter Haven area grew 2.7% between 2024 and 2025, ranking fourth in the nation, the station reported. Experts point to lower home prices compared to nearby counties, along with proximity to Tampa and Orlando, as factors drawing new residents to Polk County.
Costco's Florida Expansion Push
Costco has been actively expanding across Florida in recent months. In Cape Coral, the city council voted 7-1 on Nov. 2 to approve a $10 million incentive agreement for Costco to build a 165,000-square-foot store with a gas station, according to Gulfshore Business. Near Orlando, a Costco planned for Seminole Towne Center recently cleared another hurdle when the Sanford Planning and Zoning Commission approved signage plans, as reported by My News 13. That warehouse is expected to run about 154,000 square feet, close in size to what's being proposed for Davenport.
Whether the Davenport proposal follows the same path toward approval remains unclear. For now, the project exists only in Polk County's pre-planning records, with no confirmation from Costco itself about its plans for the site between its two competitors.
