The Asheville Costco Is Back in Play, and the Mayor Sounds Cautiously Hopeful

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  June 17, 2026

The Costco that western North Carolina has been waiting on is not dead after all. Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer says the proposed warehouse store is back on track after the company re-engaged with the property sellers and the city, just a few months after walking away from the project.

Manheimer shared the update after speaking directly with a Costco representative, who confirmed the company had a positive meeting with the sellers and is once again moving the project forward. Her words were measured. She called it encouraging and said the project is back on track, while making clear it is not yet a done deal.

The location has not changed. The proposed store would sit west of Asheville at Enka Commerce Park, near Enka Heritage Parkway and Sand Hill Road, on close to 40 acres. Plans call for a 160,000-square-foot warehouse, a 32-pump fuel station, and a tire center. A lot of people call it the West Asheville Costco, though the site is really closer to Enka and Candler, just outside the city.

If that location sounds familiar, it is because the project looked all but finished earlier this year before it stalled out. Costco withdrew its application back in February, pointing to rising costs tied to infrastructure work, transportation requirements, and timelines. A big piece of that came down to what the North Carolina Department of Transportation wanted along an already busy stretch of road.

That is when the mayor went to work. Rather than let the deal collapse, Manheimer publicly asked Costco to reconsider and then pulled the right people into a room. In March she convened a meeting with the property sellers, NCDOT representatives, and Asheville planning staff to figure out how to bring the costs down to something Costco could live with.

Those conversations appear to have done the job, at least enough to get the company back to the table. The mayor framed the store as more than a shopping convenience, noting that a project like this could expand access to affordable groceries at a time when a lot of families are feeling the squeeze.

For folks farther out in the mountains, that part lands. There is no Costco anywhere in western North Carolina right now. People in Franklin, Sylva, Waynesville, and the surrounding counties who want one have been driving to Charlotte, Greenville, or Knoxville to get there. An Enka location would not be next door for everyone, but it would knock a serious chunk off that drive for a wide stretch of the region.

The mayor is keeping expectations honest, though. Back on track is not the same as approved. There is still work to do on the infrastructure and transportation side, a revised proposal has to come together, and the company has not set a construction timeline or opening date. Deals this large can stall again, and this one already has once.

Still, the tone out of Asheville City Hall is noticeably more hopeful than it was in February. After months of uncertainty, the company is engaged, the sellers are on board, and the people who can move the road and permitting pieces are talking. That is a real shift.

There is also a bigger signal here for anyone watching how this corner of the state grows. National retailers do not chase markets they think are shrinking. A Costco betting on the Enka corridor says something about where companies see the western mountains heading, and that kind of confidence tends to reach the surrounding towns over time.

For now, the move is to watch the next round of meetings and see whether the revised plan holds together. If it does, a years-long wishlist item for the region finally has a path forward.

If watching how growth like this reshapes the western mountains has you curious about what living here could look like, Jon Tharp is always glad to talk it through.

Sources: WLOS, 828 News Now, Blue Ridge Public Radio

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Where would the new Asheville Costco be located?

The proposed Costco would sit west of Asheville at Enka Commerce Park, near Enka Heritage Parkway and Sand Hill Road in the Candler area. The plan covers nearly 40 acres and includes a 160,000-square-foot warehouse store, a 32-pump fuel station, and a tire center. Locals often call it the West Asheville Costco, though the site is closer to the Enka and Candler communities just outside the city. It would be the first Costco in the region, giving Buncombe County and surrounding mountain counties a warehouse retailer that residents currently drive to Charlotte, Greenville, or Knoxville to reach.

Why did Costco withdraw its application earlier?

Costco withdrew its application in February 2026, citing rising costs tied to infrastructure improvements, transportation requirements, and project timelines. A large share of those costs involved North Carolina Department of Transportation requirements for road and access work around the busy Enka corridor. After the withdrawal, Mayor Esther Manheimer asked the company to reconsider and convened a meeting in March with the property sellers, NCDOT representatives, and Asheville planning staff to find ways to reduce the cost burden. Those conversations are what eventually brought Costco back to the table, according to the mayor.

Is the Asheville Costco officially approved and happening?

Not yet. Mayor Esther Manheimer has said the project is back on track and that Costco has re-engaged after a positive meeting with the property sellers, but she has been clear that it is not a done deal. Several steps still have to fall into place, including agreements on infrastructure and transportation work and a revised proposal from the company. The company has not announced a construction timeline or opening date. The mayor described herself as encouraged that discussions are moving forward, while cautioning that more work remains before anything is final.

Why does an Asheville Costco matter to people across Western North Carolina?

Western North Carolina has no Costco, so residents from Franklin, Sylva, Waynesville, and beyond currently drive long distances to reach one. An Enka-area location would cut that trip dramatically for much of the region and add another bulk-grocery and fuel option as families deal with rising costs. Supporters also point to job creation and added retail competition. For real estate, large retail anchors like this can signal regional growth and influence how buyers view nearby communities, which matters to anyone watching the western mountains as a place to live or invest.