24 hour would start lve a lot of congestion issues.
Villagers would got at 5am when they get up and others will go during the day or in the evening.
Then those wish sleeping problems will go at all hours of the night

I am always surprised when people say they will go to a bulk sales store in a vehicle that is so small it can barely hold products from a standard store.

Do people really buy those huge stacks of toilet paper, etc, with a golf cart?

Sounds self defeating...but if people do t and enjoy it, more power to them. :)

What city? Oxford? I sure they have team of planners working around clock? Funny how southern villagers complain about traffic all time and how it was poorly planned. Obvious when there are 100 cars deep just get through B/V CR44 stop light how well that was planned? and yes had years to plan it. Build first plan later. 466 at 301 don’t have enough and long enough turning lanes why traffic backs up even during none snowbird season.

Judging from some other traffic complaints around the area, I think you give the City/County/State too much credit here. The MO seems to be:
- Approve it
- Build it
- Watch congestion build
- Receive complaints
- Insist that the roads are adequate based on a traffic study done ten years ago before the additional homes or businesses were even being considered
- Receive more complaints or cleanup an accident
- Commission a traffic study to determine what can be done about the sudden congestion

(In the city's/county's defense, they may need to wait for a traffic problem to justify a new traffic study and you never know how accurate the previous study was. Anticipating what people will do today based on the habits of people ten years ago has got to be tricky)

I still prefer a Costco than more apartments.

How long have you been a city planner? How many cities have you planned roadways for?

What road congestion fix you created are you most proud of?

Beginning June 30, Costco will be open one hour earlier for Costco customers who hold Executive Member cards.

When did you last study reading comprehension?

Pearl clutching is an Olympic sport here.

The difference is that 50 was built to accommodate heavy traffic and 466 was not. There are 3+ lanes in each direction on 50 and the speed limit is 45-55 mph. 466 is a highly congested road with inadequate lanes and a low speed limit in part due to the school. There is no legitimate comparison.

Me either!

I agree with you on this subject. I believe that everyone that doesn't like crowds, to wait a couple of months just till the ones that want to be the first to see it move on. I didn't notice a big traffic jam when BJ's or Sam's opened. Why don't people just relax, wait and see how it goes and then visit.

I loved what you had to say. It made me laugh.

It seems Costco is now available (with a $50 gift card) for $65, so $15 effectively. Sams is $25, possibly $20 for seniors. An AI search engine (e.g. Gemini) will easily find these deals.

And yesterday, in my Walmart a lady at a table was offering half price Sams membership.

And if you just want to check them out, or buy a slice of pizza, or eat the free samples, here's 3 methods: In my state, they must allow you to enter, without membership, if you want to use the pharmacy. Or just walk up to someone entering and say, "Can I walk in with you? My spouse is inside shopping and has our membership card." Or go in the door for returns.

The average Costco local shopper isn’t just buying in bulk. They stop for a chicken for dinner, appetizers or desserts for a gathering a frozen mocha drink, takeout pizza, and fuel.

I would say 80% of the product we shop in Costco is not bulk. If I do choose paper towels I ship to my front door for free. Last week driving by Costco I stopped for frozen mocha new chicken sandwich on garlic ciabatta bread. I did buy 2.5” thick NY strip package of 4 but that not bulk either. Most item at Costco or Sam’s are the same quantity as Walmart. I consider bulk as a case or pallet

Sometimes it help to read all the posts. We have shopped Costco in 4 states, 13 stores over 20+ years. What was Costco business membership is free for us plus hundreds of cash back every year. Not a fan of pizza or hot dog, the new chicken sandwich or the frozen strawberry lemonade. The berry smoothie will be greatly missed.

I’m south of 44. I already drive to Winter Garden every Sunday for church. Easy to stop by Costco on way back home (just did so a few hours ago). I drive to church down the Turnpike on Sunday mornings (traffic minimal that time of morning). Coming home after shopping Costco, I drive back on 27 and then connect with the Turnpike - bypasses all that construction. Easy. I don’t see myself shopping the new Costco way up north unless I happen to already be up there for some reason.

Regarding increase traffic on 301 - I see that happening too - for us Villagers, there is an easy work-around. Just stay off 301, it’s not even part of The Villages.

I do. But I get my huge package of rolls from Staples, their store brand is less expensive than anywhere else and "soft and strong" enough for their intended purpose. I think it's something like 48 double-rolls in a package.

As for Costco, it has no effect on me personally. I don't live near it, and I have BJ's a few blocks from home to fill up my gas tanks, and buy any bulk items I might need. Their deli meats are pretty good too.

If they allow non-members to just - go to check out the place for the first week, I might go. I remember vaguely that one of these big-box stores used to allow non-members in, but they'd have to pay an upcharge to buy anything. No idea if they do now.

Ditto...

My exact thoughts. LOL.

I'd rather have more apartments than lofts.

Different people, different patterns. I don’t live close so my only reason to visit is enough price difference to make it worthwhile. When I drive to Sam’s I buy gas, rotisserie chicken, several flats of soda, and whatever else we might be interested in like paper towel or frozen food or snacks.. I wouldn’t drive there for a steak (4x2.5” steaks would be bulk in my household), I would get that closer. The items I buy would not fit on my cart.

If I lived closer I would likely stop more frequently. For me, Costco is no closer.

TV is the first place we have lived that didn’t have multiple Costco choices within 15-20 minutes or less. Much of our shopping arrives at our front door. Downside Good restaurants were 30- 40 minutes.

It was BJ's where I lived. Sam's was a half hour away and the was one Costco in Milford but it was on the Boston Post Road and what sane person would drive through the I-91/I-95 junction, through West Haven, into Milford, onto Rte 1, for a 50-pack of Pepsi when Walmart was just up the road from home and it was $2 cheaper?

And if you lived in New Haven county, or most of Connecticut, you would never go to Costco for a sub. There was a sub shop within 5 blocks of you, no matter where you lived. There were at least 3 restaurants of decent quality within a mile of home, unless you lived maybe in Danbury. But chances are, someone at the next farm could make better blueberry pancakes than any restaurant you'd ever go to anyway. Just trade them a quart of fresh raw milk and a basket of blueberries from YOUR farm, and you'll have breakfast for a week.

I’m more concerned with how it will affect golf cart traffic on Wedgewood going to/from Fresh Market, Tropical Smoothie, Walmart, etc…?

As a former student at UF, I’d imagine anyone from Gainesville and beyond would go to the closer Costco in Jacksonville rather than drive further to TV.

I travel through there every once in a while. I share that concern.

From UF the Villages Costco will be just slightly closer.

60 miles, 70 minutes to the Villages
65 miles, 80 minutes to Jacksonville

By comparison, it is 30 miles and 37 minutes from Sawgrass to the Clermont Costco. Some people make that drive, others feel it's too far away. 37 minutes is about the same as driving from Ocala to the Villages. Some from Ocala will do that, others won't. Those living in Gainesville will be looking at twice the commitment.

I can see it all now, comedy routines about Villagers with loofas dropping toilet paper along the roadways in The Villages.

I guess we will find out either way.

I drive to Summerfield 3-4 times a week via 301 as I also live south of 44. The only other option is going Morse with all the roundabouts and at some point cutting over to 301. The worst part of 301 is the 2 lane portion south of 44, once you are past that it moves and you can time the traffic lights to keep moving reasonably well.

I will probably shop the new Costco when it opens but honestly I don’t go there that often that it’s a big deal. I don’t go on the weekend, I learned that lesson at Clermont!

If people would just slow down and realize getting someplace does not need to be a timed event it would help. After all most of us are at least semi-retired.

I'm cross referencing all the past posts about 'Why can't we get a Costco in The Villages'. Will publish the results when compiled. The waffler's and nayer sayer's (yes, I just made those words up) will be outed.

They intersect. Aldi on sw corner. Just over train tracks

BASED on Career EXPERIENCE;
as part of the Preliminary Process (way before initial permit application), especially when State and County Roads are involved, Traffic and Environmental Impact Studies MUST be Submitted to the Associated Authorities.

AND
these Studies always include Recommendations for Solutions concerning Impact to the Increase of Traffic.

AND BETTER YET
All the Alterations to the Impacted Intersections, including but not limited to, Extending or Doubling Left Turn Lanes, as well as Traffic Signal Timing, are part of the New Facility’s Financial Responsibility, and MUST be Completed Before the Facility Opens for Business.

Appears by the Overall Size of this Building, and length of time required for the construction process, there is Plenty of Time before the Roadwork Alterations need to begin …

… this is not based on opinion

Same here. We may have the place to ourselves.

My sense is there a lot of people who overly exaggerate the impact of one or two stores coming to the area ..... The affective language being espoused has little to no impact on my life.

Interesting. Ten days ago the gas pumps were in and the building appeared to be complete. I don't recall the condition of the parking lot (leveled, smoothed, paved, ???) but remember thinking I would be surprised if the store wasn't open by the end of July. Is 45 days Plenty of Time for Roadwork Alterations?

Do you really think opening will be end of July? So far Costco coming soon website doesn’t list TV yet. Once it’s listed opening is usually 60 days ish.

They are just listing Costco openings in August. So far no active website for hiring, which for Costco is at least 40 days prior to open. One of lower management is leaving Clearmont to work in TV. He has zero insider information, but hoping for September Grand opening

I have nothing to go on other than how quickly they have gotten to this point. Your experience with the "coming soon" website is probably more accurate.

It could very well be that 80% of the work takes 20% of the time and what they have remaining, mostly the parking lot and all of the inside work, will take much longer.

On June 30, Costco will open its doors an hour earlier, at 9 a.m., for Executive members, giving them exclusive access before the regular store hours begin at 10 a.m. This change applies to all Costco locations, Monday through Friday, and on Sundays. On Saturdays, Executive members can shop from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., according to Kiplinger.com.