By this time next year, Butler County residents should have a new place to buy in bulk. Groundbreaking is set for Thursday, Nov. 4, for a new Costco store in Liberty Township. It will be part of a new 88-acre mixed-use development called Freedom Pointe.
"We're excited about the Costco, because they came to us," Steve Schramm, Liberty Township Trustee, said. "That's a regional draw. Anytime you can bring in a facility that brings people in from a 20-30 mile radius, that's a great win."
In addition to the 160,000-square-foot Costco, the development will include more than 400 residential units (both apartments and townhomes), offices, restaurants and a hotel as part of 200,000 square feet of occupied space. Affiliates in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, an oral surgery group, is expected to move into the area. Hill Properties is the developer for the site.
The development will be built on an extension of Cox Road that will border State Route 129 and northbound I-75. Those two roadways are currently undergoing a restructuring by the Butler County Engineer's Office that will ease traffic congestion by utilizing Cox Road.
"We're hoping this drives the eastern side of I-75. This is sort of the gateway to that whole Cox Road corridor all the way to Monroe," said Schramm.
Another part of the township's plan for development is the construction of an interchange at I-75 and Millikin Road.
"Connecting Cox Road to a new Millikin Interchange will open up 700 acres for commercial growth on the east side of I-75, a game-changer for Liberty Township and our region," said Joe Hinson, president and CEO of the West Chester-Liberty Chamber Alliance. Hinson said there is potential for a conference center in the area.
The new Costco store is expected to open in late 2022.
