UPDATE: New Costco gas station opens in Kelowna

(UPDATE: Dec. 10 @ 12:10 pm) - Costco's first gas bar in Kelowna is now open to the public.

After teasing earlier this week that the gas station would open this month, the pumps officially started flowing today.

The 24-pump gas station is located at 2203 Baron Rd. and will be open daily from 7 am until 7 pm, although the Sunday hours are a little shorter at 8 am until 6 pm.

The current price for regular gas at the new Costco station is 134.9 cents per litre, around a dime cheaper than other gas stations in the city.

Premium gas is 10 cents more expensive at 144.9 cents per litre.

The new 167,177-square-foot Costco warehouse, located nearby between Springfield, Baron and Leckie roads, is expected to open in the spring.

(Original story: Dec. 8 @ 9:35 am) - It’s been a lengthy process, but the finish line is now clearly in sight for Kelowna’s new Costco warehouse and gas bar.

This week, the GM of Kelowna’s Costco, Omara Escobar, shared the details of when both the gas bar and new warehouse are expected to open.

The gas bar will come first and Kelowna residents won’t need to wait much longer before filling up their tanks at the 24-pump gas station off Baron Road.

“Our gas station will be open in December, stay tuned for the actual date,” explained Escobar.

It will be a slightly longer wait for the new warehouse, as Escobar said the “shiny new building” will be opening “sometime this spring.”

The new Costco location and gas bar is less than two kilometres away from the existing location on the corner of Hwy 97 and Hwy 33.

A new Costco location in Kelowna has long been in the works, as the current warehouse, built in 1991, has struggled to keep up with the city’s growing population and demand for memberships.

There were rumours in 2018 that Costco was looking to the Westside for its relocation, which were fuelled by a social media post from former West Kelowna mayor Doug Findlater.

However, those rumours were quickly shot down by the City of Kelowna and put to rest for good in November 2020.

That’s when Costco filed an application with the City of Kelowna to rezone the nearly six-hectare parcel of land between Springfield, Baron and Leckie roads for a new 167,177-square-foot warehouse.

That rezoning application was approved by city council in January 2021 by a vote of 7-2.

"During the 2018 election it was clear that residents wanted to keep Costco in the city," said councillor Luke Stack at the time.

"Sites like this are basically impossible to find and while it may not be perfect, it's the best option."

Around 60 new jobs are expected to be created by Costco’s expansion and relocation, bringing the number of people employed by the company in Kelowna to more than 500.