Butler County’s first Costco store nearing completion

The new Costco now under construction is part of the $139 million, mixed-use Freedom Pointe project along Cox Road north of Liberty Way — near Christ Hospital Medical Center – in Liberty Twp. and near Interstate 75. Costco, which company officials have said will open in November, is the anchor retail tenant of the sprawling 88-acre development, which will also feature a wide-range of retail, restaurant and residential offerings all sharing green space grounds. (Photo By Nick Graham\Journal-News)

The new Costco now under construction is part of the $139 million, mixed-use Freedom Pointe project along Cox Road north of Liberty Way — near Christ Hospital Medical Center – in Liberty Twp. and near Interstate 75. Costco, which company officials have said will open in November, is the anchor retail tenant of the sprawling 88-acre development, which will also feature a wide-range of retail, restaurant and residential offerings all sharing green space grounds. (Photo By Nick Graham\Journal-News)

LIBERTY TWP. — Butler County’s first Costco store is taking shape amid a frenzy of construction activity that includes roadways and infrastructure work for the $139 million, mixed-use Freedom Pointe project in Liberty Twp.

The giant store, which will replace planned-to-close Springdale Costco in northern Hamilton County, is scheduled to open in November but company officials declined to provide an opening date.

And the surrounding 88-acre mixed use Freedom Pointe development, which is the second most expensive in Liberty Twp. history, is progressing as planned, said the developer.

“Everything is on schedule,” said Dan Wheeler, owner of Target Management & Leasing and site developer for the project surrounding the new Costco, which is near Cox Road and Liberty Way, close to the Interstate 75 interchange.

“It’s been good weather all summer for us,” Wheeler said.

Officials at the Issaquah, Washington-based Costco Wholesale Corporation declined to provide the opening date for their new store, saying “due to construction schedules, city requirements, etc., new warehouse opening dates are subject to change.”

“For that reason, company policy prohibits us from sharing specific dates.”

But during last year’s ground-breaking officials said the 160,529 square-foot Costco store would be opening in November of this year.

Wheeler, whose company bought the 88-acres and did the preliminary site work for Costco, said the adjacent developments will later be taking shape with separate and varying opening dates in the coming years.

A retail strip of businesses will see its start of construction in spring 2023, he said.

His company is now focusing on roadways and infrastructure of the project, said Wheeler.

The finished development will eventually include restaurants, 402 upscale apartments, other retail businesses, medical and other professional offices and a hotel at the southern border of Liberty Twp. across Liberty Way from the Voice of America Metro Park in West Chester Twp.

The $139 million Freedom Pointe development, which is about quarter-mile from the Butler and Warren County border, is the second largest in Liberty Twp. history after the 2015 opening of the nearby $350 million Liberty Center across I-75.

The development will also include a soon-to-opened connector road from SR 129 and expansion of Cox Road north to further open development into Liberty Twp.

Liberty Twp. Trustee Todd Minniear said impact of the coming Costco and surrounding development will be positive for the fast-growing township.

“The target for opening is in November is what I’ve been told. As far as I know and heard (Costco) is still on track for that,” Minniear said.

“Costco is going to be a significant, positive contributor to the people of the community and I’m looking forward to seeing it get done,” he said. “I’m really happy about it.”

“It’s come together quickly. Often times these things get delayed for one reason or another but it’s been uncommonly smooth.”


FULL COVERAGE

The Journal-News has provided coverage of the Costco project since its inception. Follow Liberty Twp. Staff Writer Michael Clark on Twitter @MichaelDClark1 and sign up to receive our newsletters.

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