Plans for a long-awaited Costco warehouse in Belleville, Ontario, have moved a significant step closer to reality after Mayor Neil Ellis announced the project during a July 27 city council meeting.
Ellis said he had spoken with Louie Loberti, Director of Real Estate Development for Costco Wholesale Canada, regarding the development. Plans call for a warehouse measuring more than 167,000 square feet on Bell Boulevard, west of the Shorelines Casino and nearby hotel properties.
The development will also include an approximately 8,000-square-foot gas bar with 12 double-sided fuel pumps capable of serving 24 vehicles simultaneously. Construction of the warehouse and gas bar is valued at just over $37 million.
Site preparation is expected to begin this fall, followed by major construction in spring 2027. Completion is targeted for fall 2027.
The project adds Belleville to Costco’s growing Canadian development pipeline while bringing greater certainty to an initiative that has been anticipated locally for years.
A Long-Awaited Project Moves Forward
Plans for a Costco in Belleville first emerged publicly in 2019, when city council approved zoning changes for a Costco-anchored commercial development on Bell Boulevard.
The original proposal included a warehouse, gas bar and several additional commercial buildings. The city subsequently undertook infrastructure improvements along Bell Boulevard, including road widening and intersection upgrades intended to accommodate future growth and increased traffic.
The project later appeared to stall. By 2023, the proposed development lands had returned to the market, raising questions about whether Costco’s anticipated arrival in Belleville would proceed.
The plans now call for a larger warehouse than originally proposed. At more than 167,000 square feet, the Belleville location would exceed the size of Costco’s existing warehouses in Kingston and Peterborough, signalling renewed momentum for a project that had appeared uncertain only a few years ago.
The city has indicated that Costco has received a draft site-plan agreement for execution. Once that process is completed, the building permit can be finalized and issued.
Belleville Serves a Much Larger Regional Market
Although Belleville itself had a population of approximately 55,000 at the time of the 2021 census, the city functions as the commercial hub for a much broader regional market.
Located along the Highway 401 corridor, Belleville draws shoppers from Quinte West, Prince Edward County, Hastings County, Brighton, Greater Napanee and surrounding communities. The Belleville–Quinte West census metropolitan area has continued to grow, while the wider Bay of Quinte trade area extends well beyond the city’s municipal boundaries.
Costco’s site selection strategy is based on regional trade areas rather than municipal populations, making Belleville’s broader catchment area far more significant than the city’s population alone.
For many residents of the Bay of Quinte region, shopping at Costco has traditionally meant driving to Kingston or Peterborough. A Belleville warehouse would significantly shorten that trip for many members while providing the retailer with access to an established regional customer base.
The location also fills an important geographic gap between Costco’s existing eastern Ontario warehouses, strengthening the company’s presence along one of Canada’s busiest transportation corridors.
Canada Has Become One of Costco’s Strongest Markets
The Belleville project is also notable because Costco already has an exceptionally strong presence in Canada. The retailer currently operates 115 warehouses across the country, equating to approximately one location for every 360,000 residents. By comparison, Costco operates roughly one warehouse for every 540,000 people across the United States and Puerto Rico.
Few international markets have embraced Costco as enthusiastically as Canada. Relative to population, the company operates substantially more warehouses here than in its home market — a reflection of strong consumer demand, consistently high membership renewal rates and the warehouse chain’s enduring appeal to Canadian shoppers.
Many Canadian Costco locations serve expansive regional trade areas and rank among the busiest in the company’s global network. The Belleville development suggests Costco continues to see opportunities to deepen its Canadian footprint, particularly in regional markets that can support high-volume warehouse retailing.
Part of a Broader Canadian Growth Strategy
The Belleville project follows a series of warehouse developments that point to one of the busiest expansion periods in Costco Canada’s history.
Retail Insider recently reported that the company had at least 10 traditional warehouse projects planned, under construction or in development across the country. The pipeline includes communities such as Wasaga Beach, Thunder Bay and Lloydminster, alongside projects intended to increase capacity in rapidly growing suburban markets.
Belleville fits the regional-expansion side of that strategy. Its location along Highway 401, growing population and position between Kingston and Peterborough provide Costco with an opportunity to serve an established customer base from a more convenient location.
The company’s continued investment is particularly noteworthy given the maturity of its Canadian network. Rather than slowing expansion, Costco continues to identify regional markets where population growth, transportation access and consumer demand support additional long-term investment.
Potential Impact on the Local Retail Market
The arrival of Costco is expected to reinforce Belleville’s position as a regional shopping destination. The warehouse will introduce additional competition across grocery, pharmacy, fuel, electronics, furniture, household goods and numerous other merchandise categories. Its gas bar, designed to accommodate up to 24 vehicles simultaneously, could also influence fuel pricing and competition within the local market.
Costco warehouses frequently become anchors for surrounding commercial development, attracting restaurants, service businesses and complementary retailers while increasing traffic throughout nearby commercial districts.
The project may also reduce the need for Bay of Quinte residents to travel to Kingston or Peterborough for Costco shopping, keeping more consumer spending within the region.
Updated employment projections and broader economic-impact estimates have not yet been released for the current proposal. Earlier figures associated with the original 2019 development related to a substantially larger commercial project and should not be interpreted as forecasts for the newly announced warehouse.
With site preparation expected to begin later this year, the Belleville project has progressed well beyond the speculation that surrounded it for years. Beyond bringing a Costco warehouse to the Bay of Quinte region, the development illustrates how the retailer continues to expand one of the world’s most extensive warehouse networks on a per-capita basis.
