Tri-Cities is Getting Another Costco…But Not Where You Think

The talk of a second Costco in Tri-Cities has been going on for a couple of years now.  Something like that is a conversation that takes a few years because of everything that goes in to the process of building a Costco store...and it is hard to keep quiet.

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First word leaks out that Costco is looking for land in a certain area, then a certain city, then down to the rough area that it might finally be built.  When it comes to getting down to business, it takes time to secure the land, permits, take care of the traffic impact fees, and then begin construction.  I'm sure I left out a few steps but you get the idea...it takes a while.

For last year plus (close to two) that second location was Pasco.  It was confirmed by the company back in spring of 2021 that it would be part of a 145 acre zoning project.  The Road 100 area was where the store, and other shopping attractions, were going to be built.  Until it wasn't.

Fast Forward to 2023

Ground has yet to be broken because land had yet to be totally secured (according to sources).  There are more rumors floating around as to why it hasn't happened than bear repeating, but suffice to say, there must be truth to some if the dirt is undisturbed.

Costco is a global retail megalith that just released their May earning report.  Net sales were up 1.9% to over $52 billion.  Doing business is a priority, not moving forward with business is probably not.  When you're dancing with the same partner for two years and it's the same song...it's time to get a new partner.  It appears that Costco has done just that.

The Tri-Cities Can Easily Support a Second Costco

Benton County has roughly 213,000 people and Franklin County close to 99,000 according to estimated U.S. Census Bureau numbers.  That's over 300,000 people that are being served by one Costco in Kennewick.

I've seen a few Facebook posts, heard a couple of rumors, talked to people that have talked to Costco employees about the second store in the area, and got some pretty trustworthy info from some really reliable sources that say the new Costco is coming to the Dallas Road area in Richland.  Sometimes social media can mislead...sometimes it can be ahead of the curve.

We will see if this turns in to reality but it seems as though the City of Richland has managed to score a major win and the economic impact to go with it.