QUEEN CREEK, AZ — Plans to build and open a Costco Wholesale warehouse in Queen Creek are moving forward, but construction hasn't started yet and the exact timing of when it could open is still in flux.
Carson Brown, of The Legacy Group, said he is in the process of selling land to Costco so the company can build a warehouse and fuel station near Queen Creek and Ellsworth roads on what is currently vacant land. An Aldi is also reportedly under development at that same intersection.
Brown said he anticipates the land deal to close in the second quarter of 2022, which would allow construction to start sometime after that and an opening further after that. However, it is also contingent on some work that the Town of Queen Creek is responsible for, he said, including extending Queen Creek Road west of Ellsworth Road.
ABC15 first reported on Costco's potential plans in February. MG2, a California-based architecture, strategy, and branding firm that works with Costco, submitted an initial application to the Town of Queen Creek with plans to build a 150,000- to 160,000-square-foot warehouse, a 24-pump gas station, and a tire station.
"We are super excited to have Costco come to Queen Creek,” said Economic Development Director Doreen Cott in a written statement.
Generally, Costco does not comment on future warehouse plans until they are well under construction and within a few months of opening. A spokesperson for Costco previously declined to comment on the Queen Creek location.
In September, Costco opened a warehouse in Surprise, a retailer the town's residents have wanted for years, and closed its warehouse at Christown Spectrum Mall in Phoenix.
Costco will be part of "Queen Creek Crossings," a 32-acre development from Vestar, a Phoenix-based company that owns and manages various shopping centers in the Valley, including Queen Creek Marketplace.
Jeff Axtell, executive vice president at Vestar, told ABC15 during a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon that Queen Creek Crossings will have 300,000-square-feet of retail space, which will be made up of different stores, restaurants, and specialty shops.
He said construction is expected to begin next summer (June 2022) with a majority of the retailers expected to open in the spring of 2023. Besides Costco, no other stores or tenants have been announced.
He said the success of Queen Creek Marketplace and the growth and demand in Queen Creek has led them to build this development.
Among the new stores that have opened in Queen Creek include Trader Joe's, Fat Cats, Barrio Queen and Total Wine & More.
