Kingston has opened the spigot to speed up redevelopment of the languishing Kingston Collection mall, a move that could flush Plymouth’s hopes of attracting a Costco down the drain.
On July 31, the Kingston Water Commission lifted a moratorium on all new connections to the town’s drinking water system – a ban it imposed in 2023 because of concerns that the system didn’t meet a state requirement that the town provide enough drinking water during peak demand even if it simultaneously loses the use of the town’s most productive well.
Since then, the moratorium has been a barrier for most new developments in Kingston, town officials said. And while some residents wanted the moratorium lifted to encourage growth in general, the prospect of landing a big fish like Costco was the stated reason to lift it now.
“We are on the verge of adding a substantial tenant to our distressed mall. And to begin the transformation they will need access to town water,” Robert Kostka, vice chairman of the water commission, said while making the motion to lift the moratorium. “Time is of the essence. They have an alternative site they could go to, which would give Kingston all of the issues of having a store that large there, but none of the benefits for the tax base.”
That alternative site is half a mile down the road, just over the town line in Plymouth – the 54-acre T.L. Edwards Inc. gravel processing plant off Cherry Street and Commerce Way (highly visible from Route 44).
This spring, at the owner’s request, Plymouth Town Meeting voted to rezone the T.L. Edwards property to allow for retail use. At that time, while not officially stated, the buzz around town was the retail client would be Costco. Neither the company nor Plymouth officials issued a denial.
In the run-up to the Plymouth Town Meeting vote, T.L. Edwards’s attorney, William Sims, said “discussions have been held with a number of operations, including Costco. I can’t give a commitment but that is the projected idea – to completely change that operation from what it is now.”
But Plymouth wasn’t the only suitor making moves this spring in hopes of attracting Costco. Kingston Town Meeting passed two articles in April, a zoning change and a land swap between the town and the mall owner. They would enable building “a nationally recognized big box retail store in the space vacated by Macy’s,” which closed earlier this year, and a gas station associated with the project, according to the official minutes of the Town Meeting votes. (Costco operates gas stations in addition to its big wholesale clubs, which have cult-like followings.)
Nowhere in the Kingston documents, or in public discussions, is Costco mentioned by name, but that appears to be polite fiction, because of non-disclosure agreements in place this early in the process. Such secrecy is typical when a large retailer is scouting locations.
“There is not much I can talk about right now, because the owners have asked for confidentiality,” said Keith Hickey, Kingston’s town administrator. “What I can say is the new owners of the mall are trying to be creative. And we are working as collaboratively as we can, to help them redevelop that property.”
Hickey said when the mall (originally Independence Mall) was flourishing, its assessed value had climbed to nearly $90 million, making it the single largest taxpayer in town. Today, it’s assessed closer to $ 9 million.
“That is a major loss of revenue,” Hickey said. “The moratorium has been challenging, because we’ve had very little new growth since. And fiscal 2027 is going to be an exceptionally challenging year. If the moratorium had continued, Kingston’s ability to provide necessary services without a (Proposition 2 ½) override, would have been nearly impossible. So, lifting the moratorium is not just about the mall, but anything we can do to bring that property back to its glory years, is huge for the town.”
Florida-based Second Horizon Capital bought the nearly defunct mall from its builder, Pyramid Corp., in 2023 for $9 million. When asked about the prospect of a Costco or other tenants that may be part of the redevelopment, a spokesperson emailed a statement saying: “Second Horizon Capital does not comment on companies that are not tenants at our centers. We are excited about the long-term future of (the) Kingston Collection and look forward to continuing our efforts toward enhancing our community and supporting transformation of the center.”
The water commission’s vote was 2-to-1 in favor of lifting the moratorium. Kostka said a lot has changed since 2023. The town has a new well in development which should come online in two to three years. Plus, updated analysis of the system shows that its capacity is sufficient to meet the town’s current needs, Kostka said.
As for the worst-case scenario of losing its primary well and being unable to meet demand, Kostka said, “I’ve lived in Kingston for 50 years, and we have never come close to that.”
Town administrator Hickey is hopeful that a formal application for the redevelopment of the mall will be filed this fall, launching a public review process. Meanwhile, officials in Plymouth are waiting for the next move by T.L. Edwards for the future of that site, long considered a blight on the landscape.
“(Plymouth) is always exploring positive economic development opportunities, and the potential for a Costco at the T.L. Edwards site was mentioned during the Town Meeting process and received a favorable response from the community. However, at this time, no next steps have been taken,” said Casey Kennedy, Plymouth’s communications coordinator, in an email to the Independent. “The town remains committed to working with organizations that will bring positive benefits to the community.”
Costco does not comment on possible locations until they are within three months of opening. It sells everything from groceries to electronics to clothing to caskets to bars of gold.
Michael Cohen can be reached at michael@plymouthindependent.org. Andrea Estes of the Independent staff contributed to this report.