Work Begins On Plainfield Costco Store

PLAINFIELD, IL — Work has begun on the long-awaited Costco in Plainfield after the village and City of Joliet struck a deal to move forward with the development. Costco will anchor a 70-plus acre development at I-55 and U.S. 30, with the store planning for a November 2020 opening.

Grading and infrastructure work at the former truck stop site began in September, village officials said in a newsletter. The 70-acre site, called the Boulevard, sits in both Plainfield and Joliet, requiring a joint agreement to develop the site that could house over 200,000-square-feet of retail space.

Officials with Plainfield and Joliet agreed to development terms in August, paving the way for work to begin last month. The site will include a new roadway from U.S. Route 30 to Renwick Road, with a new traffic signal coming to the intersection of the new road and Renwick Road.

The intergovernmental agreement stipulates that Joliet will tap into Plainfield's storm, water and sewer service for its portion of the development. Joliet will also be responsible for the costs of all major road repairs, reconstruction, patching and resurfacing.

Plainfield will bill Joliet for the use of its water and other utilities, and it will assume the responsibility of responding to police calls at the development, among other requirements.

Currently, the closest Costco locations are in Naperville and Bolingbrook. In 2017, many Patch readers responded to a survey saying Costco was among the business they would most like to see come to Plainfield, and in 2015 Mayor Mike Collins told Patch that the wholesaler and "a couple more" retailers were in the works for the village.

The new Costco will span 150,000 square feet in the new development. Both municipalities believe the store will lure other retail tenants, such as restaurants, to the new development.

The former truck stop along Route 30 near I-55 has long been eyed as a redevelopment opportunity. In 2016, The Joliet Herald-News published an article headlined, "I-55 And Route 30 Still Seen As Prime Retail Potential For Plainfield, Joliet."

Costco plans to open at the site in just over a year, according to the village of Plainfield.