Plans for downtown Walmart move forward
As seen in the Herald Tribune
By J. David McSwane
SARASOTA – A Walmart Supercenter proposed for downtown Sarasota appears to meet broad zoning standards, which could make it difficult for detractors to shoo the retail giant away.
City planners have yet to see a final site plan for the center, which at 97,000 square feet halves most of the chain’s supercenters.
But company representatives received recommendations Wednesday from the city’s Development Review Committee which, among other things, urged the company to host community forums and perform a traffic study.
“I think they’ll be able to meet all the zoning code requirements,” said Courtney Mendez, a senior planner for the city. “They seem willing to work with us on the some of the conditions above and beyond.”
It is still too early to tell if and when the project could be completed, Mendez said.
If built, the Walmart would fit neatly into the Ringing Shopping Center at 2260 Ringling Boulevard, which was left bare last year when grocer Publix moved south of downtown.
That shopping center is already zoned for a neighborhood shopping hub, making things easier for Arkansas-based Walmart to move in.
Interest in that center mirrors a trend by the nation’s largest retailer which has moved away from plans for shopping meccas like the Supercenter between Sarasota and Venice to compact centers that present less red tape.
The chain currently has another project going on in North Sarasota where residents will soon be able to shop at one of Walmart’s new Neighborhood Markets, a small store that sells only groceries.