Fort Myers Costco officially moving to Colonial Boulevard location

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — A new Costco is officially moving forward in Fort Myers after the company closed on a 55-acre site near Colonial Boulevard and Plantation Road.

The property was rezoned last year. Right now, it's just an empty lot, but soon it could be home to Fort Myers' newest Costco.

WINK News spoke with shoppers about the change. Some are excited about a bigger store with more space, while others say they don't want to give up the location they've been shopping at for years.

Shopping at Costco in Fort Myers can mean dealing with packed parking lots and heavy traffic.

"This parking lot is not my favorite. I've been driving into this parking lot for more than 20 years, and it's aggravating, it's harrowing sometimes because of the traffic patterns," said Ian Cross, a Costco shopper.

Charles Mayhugh, senior advisor at Mayhugh Commercial Advisors, helped broker the deal. He tells WINK News the new store will be over 20,000 square feet larger than the current Cypress Lake location.

"The great news about this site, though, is the access. That's where the nightmare is. And the fuel pumps," Mayhugh said.

The project means at least 900 parking spaces, more gas pumps and several access points to help keep traffic moving. Mayhugh said the location is safer and more convenient for residents.

"It's just a great location for all the citizens, actually, to get in and out of. It's just so much safer. The demographics there are phenomenal. It's more locally set now. It's closer to Lehigh, Cape Coral," Mayhugh said.

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Shopper David Cameron said the new location could make Costco runs easier and less crowded.

"I worry about the traffic over there. That's a tough intersection, and that area is going to be even more crowded with Costco, but you can't avoid that anywhere. I'll definitely patronize it," Cameron said.

But not everyone is ready to say goodbye to their current store.

"I will really have a lot of trouble driving up to Colonial. Yeah, I would hate to lose this Costco," said Lena Brown, a Costco shopper.

For others, even with a new store on the way, the location closest to home still wins.

"I would really rather not drive that much further every time I come here. It's close to our house, it's only about four miles away, so it's an easy trip up here," Cross said. "The thought of driving up to Colonial every time I go to Costco, which is one, two times a week, is, I don't know, we'll see."

There is still no official timeline for construction or opening day. Mayhugh Commercial Advisors expects developers to break ground by the end of the year.