Demolition is well underway of the former EMC Corp. building in Southborough destined to be the site of Central Massachusetts’ only Costco Wholesale location, after residents voted in April to ask the state for an additional liquor license for the site.
After originally clearing the way for the Costco development in January, Southborough Town Meeting members approved a home rule petition to the state on April 11 to allow for the municipality to be granted another all‑alcohol off‑premises license, which would go to the new Costco location. Southborough’s home rule petition has been sent to the state legislature for consideration.
Costco is being constructed at 21 Coslin Drive. The location is targeting a summer 2027 opening.
The store will feature a gas station and 825 parking spaces, with Town officials expressing belief during the April 11 meeting the development will help spur more new businesses in the immediate area.
The site is owned by Framingham-based Atlantic Management Corp., which purchased it for $6.9 million in February 2025.
In February, the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General rejected a resident complaint that Southborough’s rezoning of the site amounted to spot zoning, an illegal practice involving the singling out of one lot for different treatment from surrounding land.
The store will be the Washington-based wholesaler’s lone location in Central Massachusetts when it opens, although the company has been considering a location at the site of The Mall at Whitney Field in Leominster.
The site at 21 Coslin Drive was once part of EMC’s large presence in Central Massachusetts.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
