Costco development continues to move forward in Orillia

City council has paved the way for a developer to bring Costco to Orillia. Charter Construction and Mark Rich Homes received rezoning approval for a portion of the property at 600 Harvie Settlement Road.

The proposal is subject to a holding condition, meaning the developer must satisfy a range of conditions before garnering final approval, according to planning director Ian Sugden.

“Servicing, traffic issues, site plan – a whole bunch of different things,” Sugden said.

“It means they now know they can use the site for (a Costco) as long as they do these other things.”

The zoning amendment allows for a retail store of up to 155,447 square feet, with access to be provided via University Avenue.

The rezoning applies to 18 acres of land.

Sugden said the ball is now in the developer’s court, noting they are under no obligation to complete the process within a specified time.

However, the proponent appears ready to move ahead quickly, he said. “They could take 20 years from now if they wanted to, but they are anxious so all of the issues will be resolved through due process of site plan approval and a consent for the severance that they have to do to create the lot,” he said. “The severance will give us the ability to impose conditions to construct the offsite road improvements.”

The rezoning allows for a gas bar in addition to the main store.

A study conducted on behalf of Charter Construction determined Orillia residents spend more than $1 million annually at Costco.

Close to one third of households have memberships at the warehouse-style store.

The nearest location is in the south end of Barrie.

A mandatory public meeting related to the zoning application was held in late July, in addition to an open house hosted by the applicant.