Image courtesy of MG2

Developers propose to replace Nashua’s existing Costco with a new building nearby on the long-empty site of a former chemical factory just off Daniel Webster Highway.

The store will anchor a multi-pad development site that could eventually include a train station on a possible future Manchester-to-Massachusetts commuter rail line.

Longtime local developer Anagnost Cos. is proposing the project, which is currently being evaluated by Nashua planning officials. Anagnost’s application is currently limited to seeking approval for the subdivision of the property at 2 Split Brook Road and permission to build the Costco, its associated gas station and a separate self-storage facility.

The 44-acre properties were once the home of Hampshire Chemcial, which left a portion of the site contaminated and under monitoring by the state Department of Environmental Services, according to a cover letter on the application from city planning staffers. The most recent development effort was a 595,000-square-foot lifestyle center called “Nashua Landing,” which as permitted in 2007 but fell afoul of the subsequent financial crisis and recession.

Plans filed with the city show the 165,000-square-foot Costco will be provided with 799 parking spaces and the 109,575-square-foot self-storage facility will have 12. Plans also show four additional development pads for a 2,500-square-foot office building, a 10,000-square-foot restaurant, a 12,000-square-foot future restaurant and drive-through, a 20,000-square-foot fitness center plus a 6,000-square-foot train station building and associated surface parking.