Developer says Costco is still on the table for Okatie Crossing on SC 170

The much-anticipated — and delayed — Costco at Okatie Crossing at the intersection of S.C. 170 and U.S. 278 is still on the table, the developer said Friday, but no contracts have been signed and little progress has been made with the city and county over the construction of an access road that the developer says is critical.

The project was supposed to be completed in late 2016 and then early 2017. And there is no timeline for breaking ground on the warehouse retailer at this time, said Doug Horne, president of Horne Properties, but discussions are ongoing.

Other box stores such as Academy Sports, Kohls, Lowes and Marshalls also could be anchor stores in the shopping center, Horne said Friday. But no contracts have been signed with any of these retailers either.

“It takes some time to do these projects,” Horne said. “It is just the way it is. People are anxious (about seeing things move forward with the development). They are no more anxious than we are.”

A media representative from Costco would not confirm a store in the region when asked in June. The representative said via email that it is company policy not to comment regarding future locations.

One major unresolved detail, which is contributing to the delay in development, has been the creation of a road to connect S.C. 170 and U.S. 278.

“If the road was in place already, it would help us get these tenants quicker,” he said.

Horne has been in discussions with the City of Hardeeville and Jasper County officials for more than a year about the road.

The city and county passed an agreement in July 2016 to reduce taxes for Horne and to give him a reimbursement via property taxes for the infrastructure of the project.

But Michael Czymbor, city manager for Hardeeville, said the agreement was never signed by Horne. He said discussions about the road have continued between Horne and city staff, though.

When asked why he has not signed the agreement, Horne said more details needed to be figured out. When asked about those details, he said Hardeeville town officials would need to answer that question. Czymbor said he wasn’t able to release more information on the agreement at this time.

News broke this Thursday of a second Costco location in the Charleston area after the company submitted development plans for a store in Mount Pleasant, which is about two hours north of Bluffton. Development plans for the Hardeeville Cotsco have yet to be submitted.

Neither the Hardeeville nor Mount Pleasant locations appear on a “new locations” list maintained by the company on its website.

There is movement for the development of out-parcels around the shopping center, Horne said. He said this includes a possible Starbucks, Verizon Wireless, hotel and medical center.

Horne said land sitting near the Cracker Barrel in Okatie was sold recently for the development of the Verizon Wireless store. He also said land is being cleared behind the Advanced Auto store as contract talks continue on a hotel at the site.

This story was originally published July 14, 2017 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Developer says Costco is still on the table for Okatie Crossing on SC 170."