Costco opens its doors at Queen Creek Crossing, more stores on the way

Maritza Dominguez, Arizona Republic
·2 min read
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People walk with groceries in the rain outside of a Costco Wholesale store at 44th and Oak streets on March 13, 2020, in Phoenix.

After a two-year wait, residents in the southeast Valley can rejoice as Costco opened its doors Thursday at its newest location in Queen Creek.

Over 100 residents showed up to the grand opening, Queen Creek Town Councilmember Robin Benning told The Arizona Republic. "It was so exciting for our community to open the store," Benning said.

The town council deferred up to $1.5 million in impact fees as long as Costco employs 100 people. The town will waive $300,000 of deferred impact fees every year the store is in business and meets its employee requirement until it reaches the $1.5 million cap. Normally, cities collect impact fees to help cover the cost of extra services a development creates.

Benning said he is sure the town will recoup the costs and more from sales tax revenue created by Costco.

The store located at 20260 S. Ellsworth Road will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It also includes a fueling station.

Plans for the southeast location were announced in 2021 after Legacy Group, a local development company, sold nearly 20 acres to Costco at the northwest corner of Queen Creek and Ellsworth roads.

The Costco is an anchor to the Queen Creek Crossing shopping center, which The Legacy Group is developing in partnership with Vestar real estate company.

Construction on a Hobby Lobby and Ashely Furniture store began in August, Rachel Forman, Vestar's marketing vice president, told The Arizona Republic in an email. Those stores are expected to open in the fall, she said. Restaurants and specialty stores are planned on the remaining 50,000 square feet.

Queen Creek is among one the fastest growing cities in the nation. It had the third-largest percentage population growth in the nation between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021, according to data release by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa/Gilbert and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on Twitter @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Costco opens its doors in Queen Creek Crossing: What to know