The project is rising on the former Calmar industrial site near the U.S. 50 and Missouri 291 interchange. The property spent decades as a manufacturing site before its buildings were gradually removed. It later sat largely empty despite its prominent location beside the highway.
Plans call for a roughly 166,000-square-foot Costco warehouse and a separate fuel facility with 24 fueling positions. The store will become part of the larger East Village redevelopment taking shape around the former industrial property.
Historic aerials and Street View reveal an especially dramatic transformation. The same land moved from factory buildings to abandonment, open grass, and finally active Costco construction.
March 1990
The future Costco property was already a substantial industrial site by March 1990. Large manufacturing buildings occupied both the northern and southern portions of the tract. Parking areas, service drives, and paved work areas surrounded the structures. The railroad bordered the property on the east, while Missouri 291 ran along the west. This industrial landscape looked completely different from the retail development now taking shape.
April 2008
A ground-level view from April 2008 shows part of the former manufacturing complex still standing. A long brick building sat beyond a broad lawn near the northern portion of the property. The entrance and surrounding grounds appeared quiet compared with the site’s earlier industrial footprint. Much of the property still retained the appearance of an aging employment center. Major changes would soon begin removing that older landscape.
September 2013
By September 2013, the former industrial complex was clearly disappearing. The large southern building visible in 1990 had already been removed. One major structure remained closer to the highway, surrounded by vacant pavement and deteriorating surfaces. Concrete remnants showed where other buildings and parking areas once stood. The remaining former Calmar building was demolished in 2015.
July 2025
The property had changed almost beyond recognition by July 2025. Grass covered most of the tract where the industrial complex once stood. Only faint pavement, foundations, and disturbed ground hinted at decades of previous development. The large empty site remained wedged between the highway interchange and railroad. After years of waiting, another major transformation was approaching.
May 2026
That transformation was well underway by May 2026. Heavy grading had reshaped land that remained grassy only months earlier. Construction vehicles were using the new entrance, and a Costco sign identified the future warehouse. The former factory property was finally becoming a major retail destination.
Costco currently plans to open the Lee’s Summit location in October 2026. The arrival will complete one of the site’s biggest changes in decades. What began as an industrial property is entering an entirely new chapter beside one of Lee’s Summit’s busiest interchanges.
Last Updated on September 21, 2026 by F.E.M