Newington’s Planning Board has conditionally approved Costco Wholesale’s plan to build a membership store and gas station at Seacoast Landing, the redevelopment site where the former Mall at Fox Run is being demolished.
The approval came Oct. 26 after months of meetings and negotiations involving the project. The planned store would contain 167,000 square feet and would be Costco’s second New Hampshire location. The company’s other store is in Nashua.
Approval includes 17 conditions
The Planning Board attached 17 conditions to its approval. Some address the effect of construction and delivery traffic on nearby roads, including Gosling Road and Woodbury Avenue.
- Construction and delivery trucks must use exits 3 and 4 on the Spaulding Turnpike to enter and leave the property.
- The project is planned for the former Mall at Fox Run site at Seacoast Landing.
- The proposal includes both the Costco membership store and a gas station.
The Newington Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board both took steps Oct. 26 to move the Seacoast Landing project forward. The Planning Board’s action was described as conditional approval, meaning the project must proceed under the requirements attached to the board’s decision.
“Costco’s plan is to close on the land in early 2027 with the goal of beginning construction in April and opening in November,” said Kim Masiuk, senior project manager and civil engineer at BL Companies.
Masiuk said the schedule matches timelines previously given by local officials. Under that plan, the land transaction would occur in early 2027, construction would begin in April and the store would open in November. The dates were presented as project goals.
The development would replace a major commercial property that is being removed from the site. The former mall is currently being demolished, and the Costco proposal places a large retail operation and fuel station within the Seacoast Landing redevelopment.
The traffic requirements are part of the local review of how the project will connect to the surrounding road network. The condition directing trucks to the Spaulding Turnpike exits applies to construction and delivery vehicles. The board’s approval and its conditions establish the requirements attached to the project as it advances through the announced timeline.
