Second Costco Coming To Sarasota County

NORTH PORT, FL — Sarasota County is getting its second Costco warehouse club, according to multiple reports.

The county’s first Costco is located at the Sarasota Mall.

The new 157,000-square-foot store will be built in North Port’s Wellen Park, a master-planned community in south Sarasota County, according to the Business Observer. The area, which is divided into three districts — West Villages, Downtown Wellen and Playmore — has about 9,500 residents with about 50,000 expected when the development’s 22,500 homes are completed.

The store, which is being built near U.S. 41, east of West Villages Parkway, is expected to open by early summer, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

Rick Severance, president of Wellen Park, said that he’s excited about the jobs being brought to the area by the new Costco, according to Sarasota magazine.

“With all of the development activity in and around Wellen Park, job creation has been a big focus,” Severance said. “There are more than 500 people now employed in downtown Wellen, and with Costco opening up nearby, there will be hundreds of new job opportunities for our residents.”