The big picture
On Dec. 16, the city of Liberty Hill approved a permit from applicant Winkelmann & Associates for a Costco Wholesale warehouse and fuel center at the 106-acre mixed use development site at 433 N US 183. The site is also the location of a new Target store, which is expected to begin construction in January 2025 with a tentative opening date in May 2026, according to previous reporting.
What’s next
The timeline for development is still unclear. Christian Kurtz, Liberty Hill’s Director of Economic Development, said it’s too soon for any definitive schedules.
“We’re really excited about the possibility,” Kurtz said. “It’s not a done deal yet and there are still a lot of hoops to jump through, so any further comment would be premature. But we really are very excited.”
Kurtz said he hopes the project, which has been referred to internally as ‘Project Whale,’ will be on the agenda for the Jan. 8 city council meeting, where city staff can discuss incentive programs and timelines.
“It takes time, but it’s definitely something we want to get done sooner rather than later,” Kurtz said.
Digging Deeper
If approved, the Liberty Hill location would be the seventh Costco warehouse in the Austin area. The membership-based big box retailer operates more than 600 stores in the U.S. alone and netted more than $60 billion in fiscal year 2023, according to Costco investor documents. Costco investor documents.
