Costco to build gas station at Town Center

[SirJax]

…
Costco is a destination store, they don't need to be on every corner.  They likely have a formula for population, income, and geography that puts them in middle class plus income areas, at or near interstate interchanges and with a minimum current or soon-to-be population within a given radius, likely at least 10 miles or so, by roads.

I have been to numerous Costco's during travels and all of them seem to fit most or all of the above formula.

Yeah, Costco tends to target a more affluent demographic than the other two membership clubs. As such, a north Jax location is probably not on their horizon. They do operate a small logistics center at the corner of Busch Dr. & Whittaker Rd. though.

[marcuscnelson]

Rezoning request for the station. I guess they're serious.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/apr/14/costco-seeks-rezoning-to-add-fuel-station-at-town-center-area-store/

[Charles Hunter]

What the heck?  Construction will remove about 150 parking spaces, with about 50 being returned once the gas station opens, so a net loss of 100 parking spaces.  Finding parking is already a nightmare. They need a parking structure - of course, its construction would wipe out the rest of their parking while it is being built.

Living in Arlington, near the Dames Point Bridge, I hope the rumors of a new Costco in the Riverplace area are true, and soon.  (This might be a rumor I just made up.)

ETA - On a more serious note, can the City consider the impact to the Costco warehouse parking during the rezoning? Was Costco required to have a certain number of spaces when the warehouse was approved?

[jaxlongtimer]

Costco should have bought out the adjacent BJ's Restaurant on the corner with Gate Parkway.  This would solve a myriad of traffic and parking issues for them.  Better access and traffic flow, more room to put gas closer to the entry point like they do in most locations and more room for parking.  Given Costco's sales volume per store, I don't doubt they could get a good return on their investment, no matter the price, which they could surely afford.

Restaurants are not doing so great nowadays, anyway, so maybe they would take a generous offer.

[copperfiend]

If allowed, what a nightmare that’s going to be. The traffic getting in and out of that store is already bad.

[acme54321]

At least it's in the back of the store.  I never understood the appeal of waiting in line for 45 minutes to save a dollar on a tank of gas

[Josh]

At least it's in the back of the store.  I never understood the appeal of waiting in line for 45 minutes to save a dollar on a tank of gas

The wait for 87 octane isn't worth it unless you're already going there and the line isn't backed up outside the parking lot, but the difference in price for 93 octane is actually pretty dramatic; like $0.60/gallon less than comparable gas stations.

[Charles Hunter]

What the heck?  Construction will remove about 150 parking spaces, with about 50 being returned once the gas station opens, so a net loss of 100 parking spaces.  Finding parking is already a nightmare. They need a parking structure - of course, its construction would wipe out the rest of their parking while it is being built.

[C]an the City consider the impact to the Costco warehouse parking during the rezoning? Was Costco required to have a certain number of spaces when the warehouse was approved?

Bumping this because I hope one of our Planning and Zoning gurus will know the answer.

[jaxlongtimer]

At least it's in the back of the store.  I never understood the appeal of waiting in line for 45 minutes to save a dollar on a tank of gas

The wait for 87 octane isn't worth it unless you're already going there and the line isn't backed up outside the parking lot, but the difference in price for 93 octane is actually pretty dramatic; like $0.60/gallon less than comparable gas stations.

With a Costco VISA card (headquartered at Citi in Jacksonville by the way), you save an extra 5% on their price plus 2% if you have an Executive membership.  Add that to the recent 50 cents a gallon off I paid for 87 octane and you are looking at over 70 cents/gallon off if gas is around $3.00.  On a 15 gallon fill, that's over $10 in savings and you are already there.  The lines move pretty fast most of the time.  I like to go to Costco in Orange Park an hour or two before closing (no lines in the store and easy to park up front) and then get the gas which is open up to an hour or more after closing.  No lines at all then. 

[Jax_Developer]

What the heck?  Construction will remove about 150 parking spaces, with about 50 being returned once the gas station opens, so a net loss of 100 parking spaces.  Finding parking is already a nightmare. They need a parking structure - of course, its construction would wipe out the rest of their parking while it is being built.

[C]an the City consider the impact to the Costco warehouse parking during the rezoning? Was Costco required to have a certain number of spaces when the warehouse was approved?

Bumping this because I hope one of our Planning and Zoning gurus will know the answer.

According to their application, there is a reciprocal parking agreement in place with the adjacent parcels.. meaning, they don't have to provide the minimum parking by code because theoretically any shortfall is being supplied elsewhere through this agreement.

The practicality of that parking agreement relative to this change is certainly a great question. The other stores around it are usually pretty lively as well.

[SirJax]

In Costco’s defense, while their parking lot is quite jam packed, the area where the gas station is proposed is so far away from the store entrance that unless it’s the height of the holidays, that area is frequently unused, with even further spots around the building almost always unused (which they will probably request that their employees park in).

As for the gas station itself, the way they have it laid out and with the aid of electronic signage, vehicles move quickly and efficiently through it. The design also allows vehicles to approach an open spot even if there are vehicles ahead/behind it (and the electronic signs indicate if those spots are available). The question is whether even with the clever layout it would be able to handle the expected volume of customers.