The first Costco in Hays County opened Thursday morning off I-35 in Kyle. The wholesale chain has several locations in Austin and San Antonio, but the new store will give easy access to those living in between.
Mayor Travis Mitchell said the city has been trying to get a Costco in town for nearly a decade.
“It just so happened that we finally got over the 50,000 population threshold,” he said. “I think that was the magic number Costco was looking at before they would commit to us.”
The City of Kyle has grown rapidly in both land area and population, nearly doubling in people in the last 10 years. Mitchell said most of the influx is large families with children who are looking for more affordable options — and many of them love Costco.
“The community is ecstatic for Costco to open,” he said. “I think it's probably the most exciting announcement that I've been a part of over the course of [my] seven years.”
Kyle recently passed a $294 million road bond, the biggest in its history. Mitchell said Kyle will continue to build infrastructure and retail centers, including grocery stores, to reach people across the area.
“It really goes to show that Kyle is maturing as a city,” he said. “We're starting to get to that point where major companies and retailers are thinking about the City of Kyle as a point of investment, and that's exciting to us.”
