If you live in Windsor, you’ve probably had some version of this conversation a dozen times over the past few years. When is the Costco actually opening? Is it even still happening? I’ve been asked it at open houses, at hockey rinks, and at least once in a Home Depot parking lot within sight of the construction fencing.

Well, the answer is finally here. The new East Windsor Costco is targeting a November 2026 opening, just in time for the holidays. Today, I want to walk you through what we know and why this store matters well beyond the warehouse walls.

When is the East Windsor Costco Opening?

The new Costco in Windsor’s east end is targeting a November 2026 opening. The store is located on Catherine Street, behind the Home Depot, and construction is moving quickly. According to Rock Developments president Rocco Tullio, the steel structure is expected to be complete by the end of June, and the gas bar infrastructure is already installed.

The roads around the site are done too. They’re built, serviced, landscaped, and open, with only minor finishing touches remaining. The city toured the completed infrastructure in late June.

So, if you’ve been driving past that site wondering whether the timeline was real, it is. Barring surprises, Windsor’s second Costco opens this fall.

Where is the New Windsor Costco Located?

The new Costco is on Catherine Street in East Windsor, directly behind the Home Depot in the city’s east end retail node. If you know where the existing east end big box cluster sits, the Costco slots right into it, and the surrounding road network has been rebuilt to handle the traffic it will bring.

What did it Take to Get Here?

More than most people realize. This is a $130 million development, and the path to a shovel in the ground included an environmental assessment, land assembly, rezoning, severances, expropriations, and multiple ministry and Indigenous approvals. Projects like this don’t happen quickly, which is exactly why the wait felt so long.

Here’s the part of the story I find genuinely impressive, though. Rock Developments handled the off-site infrastructure in partnership with the City of Windsor, and that work came in under budget and ahead of schedule. Tullio estimates it was completed in roughly half the time it would typically take a municipality working alone.

That’s not a throwaway detail. Roads, servicing, and site preparation are usually the slowest, most expensive, most uncertain part of any large development. Getting that done fast and under budget is rare, and it says something encouraging about how this city can deliver big projects when the public and private sides work together.

Why a Costco is Bigger News Than a Store Opening

Here’s where I’ll put my real estate hat on for a minute, because this is the part of the story most coverage skips.

Costco is one of the most disciplined site selectors in North American retail. They don’t open a location because a developer made a nice pitch. They study population growth, household incomes, drive times, and traffic patterns for years before committing capital. A $130 million commitment to Windsor’s east end is a data-backed conclusion that this market’s growth is real.

And large anchors like Costco change the land around them. A store like this generates thousands of deliberate, repeat vehicle trips every week. That traffic is exactly what restaurants, fuel and convenience operators, medical and dental clinics, and complementary retailers look for when they choose their next location. In market after market, the pattern is the same: the anchor opens, the traffic builds, and the surrounding parcels fill in over the following few years.

The Catherine Street corridor now has finished roads, completed servicing, and a world-class anchor arriving in November. That combination tends to attract investment. If you own property in the east end, this story affects you whether you ever buy a rotisserie chicken or not.

The Bottom Line

The East Windsor Costco opens this November, capping off years of planning, approvals, and construction on a $130 million project. For most people, that means shorter drives and holiday shopping closer to home. For the east end of Windsor, it means something bigger: an anchor that validates the area’s growth and sets the table for what gets built next.

Either way, the wait is nearly over. And if you know someone who has been asking about this Costco for years, send them this post. You know exactly who that person is.