Columbia-area Costco could open this summer near Harbison

Columbia’s much-anticipated Costco Wholesale Warehouse store is scheduled to open this summer, according to a sign on the Piney Grove Road property, but the company won’t put a finer point on the target date.

“We have a policy of not commenting on new locations,” Costco spokesman D. Ted Harris said in an email from the retail giant’s Issaquah, Wa.-based headquarters. And opening dates are “part of what we don't comment about.”

Costco is the world’s second-largest retailer. It requires memberships and features bulk purchases much like Sam’s Club.

The store has long been sought after in the Columbia market. South Carolina’s Capital City has lagged behind Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg and Augusta in attracting the company.

But construction of the 53,000-square-foot retail center continues on 31.17 acres off I-26 at the intersection of Piney Grove, Piney Woods and Fernandina roads.

The site, at 507 Piney Grove Road, can include up to 1,020 parking spaces, according to its permit. The company has been approved for three access points in an already busy retail area.

This story was originally published April 5, 2016 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Columbia-area Costco could open this summer near Harbison."