Costco has filed plans to open a full-service store with many of its classic amenities south of Rock Chalk Park, and the site proposal is now under administrative review by City of Lawrence staff.
The plan places the project on the northwest corner of Entrada and Mercato Drives, south of LMH Health West Campus and Rock Chalk Park. That lot is currently zoned for commercial use.
Blueprints from MG2 architects and Olsson, a design and engineering firm, propose a 22.6-acre site for the entire project, totaling 983,328 square feet.
The sales floor would amount to 158,413 square feet, with the rest of the site including 834 parking stalls and 24 fuel pumps.
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The proposal also accounts for the addition of 190 parking stalls in the future, with plans for the developer to build a full-access road, a sidewalk and flora landscaping off Mercato Drive.
They are also pitching a developer-built roundabout at the intersection of Entrada and Mercato Drives.
With 617 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 219,000 employees in 2024, each store averages 350 employees, although that number vacillates depending on store demand and size.
According to Glassdoor submissions for the Kansas City Costco location, salaries range from $37,000 to $46,000 per year for cashiers, and $80,000 to $137,000 per year for managers. See employee-reported salaries for other KC Costco positions here.
Cori Wallace, a city spokesperson, confirmed that this store location would be full service, including a deli and kitchen, floral and bakery departments, fresh produce and a Tire Center, Costco’s term for an auto service shop.
The Costco site plans were submitted to the city Oct. 24. Wallace said that site plans are administratively reviewed without going to the Planning Commission.
Generally, the review process takes four to six weeks, she said.
“There may be other applications, such as platting and building permits, that are submitted alongside the site plan as part of the total project,” she wrote via email.
Wallace said that permits would be released after the final application is completed and approved.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
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