OCALA, FL (352today.com) – BJ’s Wholesale Club is planning its first location in Ocala, anchoring the retail portion of a large mixed-use development taking shape in the city’s growing southwest corridor.

The membership-based warehouse retailer has purchased a 12-acre site at 7030 SW 59th Ave. within the Winding Oaks master-planned community, according to a Dec. 1, 2025 announcement from commercial real estate firm Colliers, which handled the transaction. The land formerly known as Winding Oaks Farm was sold in July to KL Winding Oaks, LLC, an entity formed by The Kolter Group.

The development is located south of SW 66th St. and east of SW 54th Ct. Rd., with project developers expecting it to become a major destination for shopping, dining and residential living in Central Florida.

Jon Thomas of Colliers represented Matthew Development in the sale, working in partnership with The Kolter Group and Boyd Real Estate to finalize the deal. In a statement, Colliers said the addition of BJ’s positions Winding Oaks as a “premier mixed-use destination.”

The closest BJ’s to Ocala is Lady Lake, which opened in 2022 and primarily serves The Villages area. That location was also developed by Matthew Development, the same firm involved in bringing the retailer to Ocala.

City officials unanimously approved the Winding Oaks Community Development District in 2024. City records show the area will include nearly 1,700 single-family homes. The development in located in one of Ocala’s fastest-growing areas, where a new elementary school opened within the community in August.

An opening date for the BJ’s Wholesale Club has not yet been announced. Currently, the city’s only membership-based warehouse retailer is the Sam’s Club at 3921 SW College Rd.