New Costco coming to a much needed southern Ontario city

What was once one of the region’s worst-kept secrets is now becoming reality: a long-awaited Costco is on the way, and it’s arriving sooner than expected.

While the wholesale giant will sit within the municipal boundaries of Halton Hills, the planned Costco warehouse will largely serve Milton residents, strategically located at Regional Road 25 and 5 Sideroad.

Halton Hills approved the proposal on Monday night (June 22) after town councillors heard from the Rice Group, the project’s developer, which said shovels could be in the ground as early as July. If all goes according to plan, Costco could open as soon as fall 2027, far quicker than projects of this size usually take.

And Costco — along with a Costco gas station — won’t be the only tenant, as additional retail stores are planned for the site.

“This is a good news story for the municipality,” said Michael Rice, CEO of Rice Group. “While I am not able to say the tenant’s name, I can tell you that the retail warehouse membership club, along with its associated gas bar, is a great addition to any municipality’s business landscape. The high-paying jobs it brings are highly sought after, and residents love having their own local warehouse club. We have a lot of experience developing this type of site, and we know it is very popular.”

Despite his initial reluctance to name the retailer, Rice later referred to it as Costco.

For its part, Costco has not commented on the project and typically does not discuss new locations until roughly three months before they open.

The property currently includes the Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf, a golf driving range and the heritage-designated Chisholm House, which will be relocated.

Milton residents have wanted a Costco for years and watched as the warehouse retailer opened locations in several other Ontario communities.

Reaction to the news from Milton residents was swift and often humorous.

“OMG, could the Leafs be winning the Stanley Cup in 2027 too — to coincide with this miraculous Costco opening?” one commenter wrote on social media.

“I can’t believe it’s finally happening. We’ve been asking for this for years. Yeah, technically it’s in Halton Hills, but really it will be a Milton Costco,” said another.

Others pointed out that Milton still won’t be complete until it gets a Burger King.

“The day I can eat a Whopper on the way home from shopping at Costco will be the day I can truly say Milton has arrived,” one Facebook user joked. “We’re close, but we’re not quite there yet.”