Heavy equipment operators have been aggressively moving dirt at the site of a new Costco in The Villages.

Costco will build a 162,000-square-foot warehouse-style store on a huge plot of land next to Hobby Lobby at Buffalo Ridge Plaza.

Plenty of dirt is being moved at the Costo site at Buffalo Ridge Plaza in The Villages
Plenty of dirt is being moved at the Costco site at Buffalo Ridge Plaza in The Villages.

News of Costco’s arrival broke in April and set off a wave of euphoria for those residents who desperately wanted to see the store here. However, months of silence on the deal, began to fuel doubts about whether Costco was coming to The Villages. All that changed during the holidays when The Villages made a formal announcement that Costco was, indeed, coming to The Villages.

While many, many Villagers welcomed the Costco news, others have expressed concerns that the Costco will overburden roads near Buffalo Ridge Plaza, that are already heavily traveled.

Still others have lamented that even with Costco, Florida’s Friendliest Hometown still needs a Trader Joe’s.