Opening set for Tri-Cities 2nd Costco. See drone view of the huge store

First came the rumors: Would Costco build a badly needed second Tri-Cities store in Pasco?

Then came word that no, it was looking at Richland. Then came the deal to lease state-owned land at Queensgate, where construction equipment was waiting for word to get busy building.

Now, it’s almost time for contractors to move out and for Costco members to move in.

The Issaquah-based wholesale giant will open its Richland store along with six other new stores in North America in August, according to the latest update to its “new locations” site.

A spokeswoman could not be reached to clarify the target date or if it will be early in the month — as rumored — or later.

The new store is about 20% larger than its sister in Kennewick and it has 1,024 parking spots — 24% more than Kennewick’s 828 spots.

It will open alongside stores in The Villages, Florida; Allen, Texas; Spring Valley, Nev.; Rimouski, Quebec; Newmarket, Ontario and Guadalajara, Mexico.

Too many Tri-Citians

The Kennewick Costco has long been considered overburdened relative to the local population of 300,000+, as any shopper trying to find parking on a weekend or at the holidays can attest.

Selecting a site for a second store initially took Costco to Pasco’s Broadmoor area, where a real estate broker said it had a land deal. The company never commented one way or the other and the deal reportedly evaporated. Instead, it chose 30 acres at the former Chiawana Orchard, behind Grocery Outlet and Target, which are in Vintner Square.

In November, Costco finalized a 55-year land lease with the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

The deal gives Costco use of the land. The state gets lease revenue worth $12 million in the first 25 years, with the money earmarked to support school construction. Terms will be renegotiated in the 26th year.

Lydig Construction moved equipment onto the property 3125 Queensgate Drive, as the deal was being finalized. Within days, the $25 million project to install a store, fueling station and sites for future neighbors was in full swing.

The final stretch

As the opening date pulls into view, contractors are finishing up.

The parking lot is still under construction, as are new roads. Kingsgate Way and Queensgate Drive are being extended to serve the property and will intersect at its northwest corner, near the fueling station.

The $4 million road project will be paid through the city’s transportation impact fee program, into which Costco must pay its share of road improvements.

The agreement includes intersection updates throughout the Queensgate area to accommodate the future traffic.

Costco operates 905 warehouse stores, including 624 in the U.S., as of its most recent quarterly earnings statement issued in May. it reported nearly $62 billion in revenue for the quarter that ended on May 11, an increase of 8% over the prior year.

Net sales for 2024 were just shy of $250 billion, or about $276 million per store on average.

A typical Costco store carries 4,000 individual products or SKUs (store keeping units). A standard grocery carries 30,000.

This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Wendy Culverwell

Tri-City Herald

Reporter Wendy Culverwell writes about growth, development and business for the Tri-City Herald. She has worked for daily and weekly publications in Washington and Oregon. She earned a degree in English and economics from the University of Puget Sound. Support my work with a digital subscription