A West Asheville Costco Is Back in the Conversation, and the Mayor Sounds Hopeful

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  June 15, 2026

West Asheville's long-discussed Costco is back in the conversation, and this time the city's mayor sounds optimistic. Mayor Esther Manheimer said in June that the proposed warehouse store is back on track after she met with company representatives, a notable shift from where things stood just a few months ago. For a project that looked dead earlier this year, that is a real change in tone.

The site sits in Buncombe County, on the west side of Asheville, the busy stretch of town that locals reach off I-26 and I-40 and that sits only a few minutes from downtown. Anyone who has driven that corridor knows how quickly traffic stacks up, which is a big part of why this particular project has been complicated from the beginning.

Why did the Costco project stall in the first place?

Costco withdrew its application in February 2026. The reasons were infrastructure requirements and cost concerns, which is a common story for big retail sites. A store that size needs road work, access improvements, and traffic capacity before it can open its doors, and that work is expensive. When those costs climbed, the company stepped back rather than push forward on a site that did not pencil out.

That left a lot of Asheville shoppers disappointed. A warehouse club had been talked about for the area for a while, and the withdrawal felt like the end of it. What most people did not see was that the conversation never fully closed behind the scenes.

What changed to bring it back?

City leaders kept working the problem. According to the mayor, the city has been in contact with the developers and with state transportation officials to address the infrastructure issues that derailed the project the first time. Those are the same agencies that would have to sign off on the road improvements any large store would trigger, so getting everyone back at the table is the necessary first step.

Manheimer shared the update in a social media post, framing the project around something practical: access to more affordable groceries. In a region where a lot of families are watching every line of the budget, that is a point that lands. A new option for bulk shopping changes the math for households that currently drive a long way for it.

Is the store actually happening?

This is the part worth slowing down on. The mayor was careful to say the project is not a done deal and that several steps remain before it can move forward. Back on track is not the same as approved. There is no construction schedule, no confirmed footprint beyond the earlier site plan, and no opening date.

The earlier proposal described a warehouse store with a gas station and tire center, the standard Costco setup. If the infrastructure questions get resolved in a way that works for the company and the city, the project could move again. If they do not, it could stall a second time. For now, the honest read is that the door has reopened and both sides are talking.

What it means for West Asheville

Big-box development is always a mixed bag for a neighborhood. It brings jobs, shopping options, and tax base, and it also brings traffic and change to a part of town that already feels busy. West Asheville has its own strong identity, and how a project like this fits into it matters to the people who live there.

For buyers and homeowners, retail momentum is one of the quieter signals worth watching. New stores and services tend to follow rooftops and growth, and they can shape how an area feels and what it is worth over time. A Costco does not move a market on its own, but it is part of the larger picture of where West Asheville is headed.

The next few months should tell the story. If the infrastructure pieces come together, expect to hear more specifics on timing and site work. Until then, this is a project to keep an eye on rather than circle on the calendar.

If watching how West Asheville grows has you curious about what it could mean for home values on this side of town, Jon Tharp is always glad to talk it through.

Details reported by WLOS (https://wlos.com/news/local/costco-asheville-mayor-project-developers-transportation-officials-challenges-grocery-store-community-western-north-carolina-wnc).

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the West Asheville Costco approved and moving forward?

Not yet. As of June 2026, Mayor Esther Manheimer says the project is back on track after she met with Costco representatives, but she has been clear that it is not a done deal. Several steps still have to happen before anything is final, including working through the infrastructure and traffic questions that stalled it earlier in the year. The short version is that the conversation has restarted and the tone is more optimistic, but there is no approved store, no construction timeline, and no opening date. For now it is momentum, not a groundbreaking.

Why did Costco withdraw its Asheville application earlier in 2026?

Costco pulled its application in February 2026, citing infrastructure requirements and cost concerns. Large retail projects often hinge on road improvements, turn lanes, and other access work that a site needs before it can handle that kind of traffic, and those costs can grow quickly. When the numbers stopped making sense, the company stepped back. Since then, city leaders have been working with the developers and with state transportation officials to find a path through those same challenges, which is what reopened the discussion this spring.

What would the West Asheville Costco include?

The proposed site plan described a Costco warehouse store along with a gas station and a tire center, which is the typical footprint for the chain. The mayor has framed the project partly around access to affordable groceries, a point that carries weight in a region where households are watching their budgets. Beyond the store itself, a development of that size usually brings jobs and additional traffic, which is exactly why the road and infrastructure details have been the sticking point from the start.