Why Doesn’t Palm Coast Have a Costco?

Commercial and residential density. Palm Coast allows multi-family developers to build only 12 residential units per acre. Jacksonville allows up to 60 units while Daytona Beach allows up to 40 units.

PALM COAST, FL – October 10, 2019 – The single most asked questions I’ve heard over the 13-plus years of publishing GoToby.com is, “When are we going to get a Costco (or Sam’s Club or BJ’S)?” The answer is, “Not until we have greater residential and commercial density.”

Residential

Palm Coast is a city in name only. It’s better defined as a sprawling suburb. It has no high-density residential areas or commercial core. The greatest allowable zoning density in the city is multi-family (MFR-2), which allows 12 residential units per acre. Two new apartment developments are under construction in Town Center, the first multi-family permits in over 50 months. The Palms at Town Center will have 88 units with a density of 8.6 units per acre. Central Landings, totaling 233 units will have 10.2 units per acre.

The new Sam’s Club in Daytona Beach is surrounded by several multi-family zoning districts that allow up to 20 units per acre. Jacksonville, home of the nearest Costco, allows high-density multi-family zones with from 20 to 60 units per acre.

A study (by Peter Testa, University of North Texas) of 10 new Costco openings in Texas between 2000 and 2014 shows that only one had a 27-minute drive time area containing fewer than 1 million residents. Rockwall, Texas had only 977,897. Flagler County has 112,067 residents (July 1, 2018).

Commercial

The Jacksonville Costco on Gate Pkwy is surrounded by high-density retail, business, and residential. So too is the new Sam’s Club in Daytona Beach. The following three-mile views from Google Earth tell the story.

Jacksonville Costco 3-Mile Radius

Costco - Jacksonville FL

Daytona Beach Sam’s Club 3-Mile Radius

Sam's Club - Daytona Beach

Palm Coast Town Center (Landings) 3-Mile Radius

Town Center - Palm Coast

2 replies
  1. Eddie Rider
    Eddie Rider says:

    Good Article

    My question is, what has happened with the nice warehouse that the company on Roberts Rd. across from the entrance of the boat manufacturer that looks like it is setting empty over several years. Did the city or county give them a break on their property taxes to build that building ? Just asking.

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