Costco pays $4.5 million for Perrysburg property

No timetable given for construction

Wood County Auditor’s Office records‍ show eight parcels were sold to Costco by four owners for $4.5 million. The purchase was recorded Friday. Work has begun to add traffic lanes.

Corrected version: The land purchase price has been updated.

In a sign that Costco plans to proceed with its proposed Perrysburg store, the wholesale warehouse store paid $4.5 million for more than 28 acres of land at State Rt. 25 and Eckel Junction Road.

Costco plans to build a 154,300-square-foot store on the site. The project has been delayed because an underground natural gas pipeline on the site, and speculation that issue could prompt Costco to find another site.

Until the purchase, Costco had options to buy the property. But the Wood County Auditor’s Office records show eight parcels were sold to Costco by four owners. The purchase was recorded Friday.

Costco’s site plan and special approval use for that location were approved by Perrysburg officials in March.

The store originally was expected to open this fall, but delays in negotiations with Columbia Gas Transmissions about a gas line slowed the process.

In spring, Costco said it hoped to begin construction early next year, assuming it would be able to reach an agreement with Columbia Gas on rerouting the pipeline and get needed pipeline relocation approvals.

In July, still with no pipeline rerouting agreement, Costco representative Ted Johnson said opening the store in the fall of 2015 is still possible.

Mr. Johnson wasn’t available for comment Tuesday.

Brody Walters, Perrysburg planning and zoning administrator, said Costco’s construction plans have been returned to the company for minor changes before any approvals would be given.

He said the company has not filed for demolition permits to remove the horse farm and residential buildings.

Costco plans a 16-pump gas station, 720 parking spaces, and two outlots that could be a fast-food restaurant and a bank.

Columbia Gas Transmissions and Costco recently have not commented on whether they have reached an agreement about the gas line.

Columbia Gas initially did not want either the store or the parking lot covering the pipeline, because it would make it harder for the gas company to monitor the line and make repairs if necessary.

Costco revised its site plan to show the pipeline rerouted around the edges of the parking lot.

For that to happen, though, Columbia Gas and government approvals would be necessary.

Contact Matt Thompson at: mthompson@theblade.com, 419-356-8786, or on Twitter at @mthompson25.