Costco Files Plans for Second Collier County Location Amid Community Concerns

Less than two weeks after a neighborhood meeting drew a crowd of concerned residents opposing the idea, Costco has officially submitted development plans for a new location in South Naples. The proposed site is at the southeast corner of Collier Boulevard and Rattlesnake Hammock Road, according to a recent article by Tim Aten of Gulfshore Business.

The planned 162,671-square-foot Costco would be significantly larger—by over 14,000 square feet—than the existing Naples Boulevard store that’s served the community for 25 years. In addition to the retail warehouse and fuel station, the project would occupy nearly 22 acres of wooded, undeveloped land within the Hacienda Lakes planned development. Adjacent to the future Costco site, four more commercial outparcels totaling over 45,000 square feet of building space are proposed along Collier Boulevard for future tenants.

Before moving forward to public hearings, Collier County’s Growth Management and Community Development staff will review and potentially revise the plan—a process with no set timeline. Once staff review is complete, the project will appear before both the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners for consideration.

Commissioner Rick LoCastro, who represents the district, emphasized the added transparency in the process. Rather than being reviewed by a single hearing officer, LoCastro successfully pushed for both county boards to hear the case, stating, “It’s going to take longer, but this ensures the public has a greater voice.”

Costco is seeking eight exceptions to the county’s land development rules. Chief among them is a request to reduce the required 500-foot separation between gas stations to just 132 feet from a nearby 7-Eleven. Other requested deviations include changes to signage size, loading space counts, light pole height, landscape design, and building façade elements.

Although zoning isn’t an issue—since the land is already zoned for commercial use—LoCastro pointed out that other concerns like traffic flow, safety, and building setbacks will be key areas of focus during the review.

As currently designed, Costco’s South Naples location would include a signalized entrance and an additional right-turn-only access point on Rattlesnake Hammock Road, with 819 parking spaces on-site. Two driveways would link the main site with the adjacent outparcels.

This article originally appeared on Gulfshore Business