Costco took a step toward opening warehouse store in Macon. What we know
Costco, known for its sprawling warehouse stores and low prices, appears to be setting up shop in Macon.
The Costco Wholesale Corporation filed an application with the Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning Commission in early May to rezone land at Wesleyan Drive and New Forsyth Road that better fits with the company’s “intended use,” according to the application.
The Macon Newsroom reported in December 2025 that Costco was in “pre-development talks” with the city and expected to open the new store by summer 2027.
The Washington-based wholesale corporation filed an application on May 7 to change the property’s zoning classification from a mixed-use planned development to a highway commercial district.
In the application, the property owner is listed as Moore and Murphey Company, a Macon real estate development agency.
Costco claimed that the new classification would align with its intended use, as the store would include:
- A 158,000-square foot prototypical Costco warehouse
- 32 gas pumps
- 873 parking stalls, including 18 accessible stalls
- One driveway on New Forsyth Road and two driveways on Wesleyan Drive that will allow customers to enter and exit.
Why the zone change?
The current classification, known as PDM, needs to “(promote) a harmonious variety of uses and (protect) against adverse impacts to nearby properties, traffic flow and the public at large,” according to the Macon-Bibb Comprehensive Land Resolution.
A highway commercial district, known as C-4, is a property that provides “meaningful development for vehicular-related uses for the traveling public,” the application said.
Costco said the C-4 classification would provide a “better buffer between the Costco warehouse and fuel facility operations and the surrounding residential areas adjacent to the subject property,” according to the application.
The store claimed the classification “was recommended by the City of Macon to align the subject property better with its intended use,” the application said.
“Due to the … property being located 0.2 miles west of Riverside Drive … and 0.5 miles north of Interstate 75 …, the C-4 zoning classification provides a more accurate description of the intended use of the subject property,” the application stated.
A hearing is scheduled for June 22 at the Macon-Bibb Planning and Zone Commission at 3661 Eisenhower Pkwy., to determine if the classification change is appropriate.
Members of the commission did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Costco has 16 stores across Georgia, including Augusta, the Atlanta metro area, Savannah and Athens.
