None of the parties involved are talking, but the Westside could be a little closer to getting a Costco, the giant retail warehouse chain.

The owner of the property where Costco has been in negotiations for several years has filed an application for a permit with the city for a Costco to be built at Collins Road and Interstate 295.

An application does not mean the store is imminent, and Tom Dumas, owner of the property, said he can't talk about it.

"I filed the application," he said. "That's public record. But I've signed a confidentiality agreement and can't say anything else."

Such agreements are not uncommon when a business is negotiating about a possible location. And Costco has been involved in talks about the property since at least 2013.

But Costco hasn't commented on the site in the past and did not return phone calls on Monday.

Dumas had about 95 acres on both the north and south sides of Collins Road at one point. But the new Wal-Mart that opened on the north side last month took a chunk of that.

The land discussed for Costco is on the south side of Collins along Parramore Road, a now dead-end road.

The extension of Parramore down to Youngerman Circle has been at the heart of the Costco negotiations. Two years ago, Jacksonville City Council passed an agreement that the city would pay for half of that extension if Costco paid for the other half.

Jim Love, who represents that area on the City Council, said he's been told that has been the sticking point.

"After we passed that bill," he said, "negotiations broke down. At least that's my understanding. Obviously, something is happening now, but I'm not in that loop. If it weren't for reporters, I wouldn't know anything about it.

"I hope they do come to a deal."

The only Costco in Jacksonville is next to the St. Johns Town Center on the Southside. The website Statista has put Costco's average sales at about $146 million per store per year.

The stores average 250 jobs, and Love said it would bring $5 million to the city in real estate, tangible property and sale taxes.

The extension of Parramore, he said, would take pressure off Collins and I-295, allowing drivers to cut through from the Argyle Forest area. Traffic on Collins, he said, has been backing up since the interstate interchange and then Wal-Mart opened.

Jacksonville Transportation Authority plans to widen Collins from Rampart Road to Shindler Drive, including landscaped medians, bike lanes and sidewalks.

Roger Bull: (904) 359-4296