Costco withdraws permit application for proposed Enka Commerce Park store

Costco has formally pulled its application to build a 160,940‑square‑foot warehouse at Enka Commerce Park in Candler, saying additional review requirements increased the project’s scope, timeline and anticipated costs. The withdrawal letter, submitted Feb. 17 by BL Companies project manager Nettie Boyle on Costco’s behalf, asked that the plan be removed “from the current review process before the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council.” The proposal included a 32‑pump fueling station, a tire center and 839 parking spaces on roughly 25 acres.

NCDOT recommendations issued Feb. 5 figure prominently in the company’s rationale. An NCDOT representative identified in reporting only as “Anderson” said, “We sent the recommendations on Feb. 5, and the next thing we heard was they were pulling the application. We didn’t really have an opportunity to talk about strategies to minimize those costs but still protect that corridor and the folks that are on it.” WLOS and city officials said the off‑site requirements cited by Costco were largely tied to state road improvements.

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer pointed to specific corridors when discussing the withdrawal, saying, “Their letter referenced the offsite requirements, and those offsite requirements are significant, apparently per the requirements from the Department of Transportation - the improvements they would have needed to make to Smokey Park Highway and Sardis Road.” City Manager DK Wesley told City Council members via email that “the applicant indicated that required on‑site and off‑site improvements have increased the project’s overall scope, timeline and anticipated costs,” and city staff received notice of the withdrawal the day after the letter was dated.

The application required a conditional zoning amendment and had experienced multiple delays before the Planning & Zoning Commission, according to reporting. Local consultants and reporters noted a PDF of the withdrawal letter was made available with the coverage; BL Companies provided the formal request to end city review at this time. Sources differ on phrasing about parking, with WLOS saying “more than 830” spaces and other outlets specifying 839 spaces, but the larger project footprint and amenities were consistent across filings.

The decision comes after more than $15 million in public investments meant to ready the Enka site for industrial use - more than $10 million from Buncombe County, $2.5 million from NCDOT and $3.1 million from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The Economic Development Coalition for Asheville‑Buncombe County voiced opposition to a Costco at Enka in October, citing wage concerns, potential loss of the county’s last remaining industrial development site and pressure on the property tax base. Local reporting also notes many Buncombe residents currently drive roughly 70 miles to the nearest Costco in Spartanburg or Greenville, South Carolina.

Costco has not released a corporate statement identifying whether the withdrawal is temporary or final; city records and NCDOT recommendations remain the primary documents cited in coverage and are the next items reporters and officials say they will review to clarify costs and any future steps.