Five things to know about Costco and the Clift Farm development fee; what’s exempt?

There’s a new item available only at Costco – and only at the recently opened location in Madison County.

It’s an additional “development fee” that most tenants of Clift Farm, the booming, 500-acre mixed-use development north of U.S. 72, charge customers. Businesses agree to impose the fee under the terms of a Community Operating Agreement and pass on proceeds to developer Breland Cos., which it says goes to community and infrastructure improvements.

But the newly opened Costco is treated differently from other businesses at Clift Farm, according to the agreement and amendments made to it this summer, before the warehouse retailer opened the location, its fifth store in Alabama.