WalMart Coming to Midtown Miami - October 27, 2011

The discount retailer expects to submit site plans for approval to the city before the end of the year. This is the same location where city officials scuttled a proposed Walmart in 2005.

By ELAINE WALKER
ewalker@MiamiHerald.com

Six years after Walmart first tried to open a store at The Shops at Midtown Miami, the discount retailer is back again and planning to move forward on what would be its first store in the city of Miami.

Walmart Florida spokeswoman Michelle Belaire said the company has a contract with Developers Diversified Realty to buy five acres of land and is working on a site plan to be submitted to the city in the next couple of months. Walmart doesn’t need any zoning change or land use variances for the site, she said.

“We are working with a world-renowned architect to produce a one-of-a-kind Walmart that would be consistent with the design of the area,” Belaire said. “We’re fleshing out the plan to ensure that we meet all the necessary requirements before submission.”

Preliminary plans call for a 155,000-square-foot store with a full-service grocery store, which would be just slightly larger than the center’s existing Target; it would be located on undeveloped property at the south end of Midtown Miami on North Miami Avenue. The store would likely open in late 2013 or early 2014.

This is the same location where Walmart in 2005 had proposed a nontraditional, design with a multilevel parking garage that was shot down by then Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton and other city officials. At that time, Midtown Miami was still under construction. While the Walmart deal was never officially voted down by city officials, Winton made it clear he didn’t believe Walmart’s “image” was suitable for the project.

“That site is not one we want to be known as a Walmart site,” Winton told the Herald in 2005.

The location was later designated for a JCPenney, but that store never materialized.

This time around Walmart hopes to build a store with a two-level parking garage above, Belaire said. The garage would have at least 600 spaces for free use by shoppers. The design also is expected to include some small retail shops lining the front of the store and opening out to the street, to coincide with Midtown’s pedestrian-friendly orientation, she said. The store would employ up to 350 people.

For years Walmart has been looking at locations throughout Miami’s urban core.

“Miami is a tremendously underserved community for us,” Belaire said. “We know the City of Miami residents shop our stores. Right now they’re leaving the city and coming into our stores elsewhere in Miami-Dade County.”

Walmart would join the lineup at Midtown Miami that includes Target, Marshalls, HomeGoods, PetSmart, Ross Dress for Less and The Sports Authority.



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