Wal-Mart Wins Second Run for 218,000-SF Supercenter

ORLANDO-Harry Lerner’s Westshore Development Group of Tampa, FL and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville, AR rarely take no for an answer.

After being rejected three years ago by Clermont, FL city council for a 250,000-sf Supercenter, the retailer and the developer resubmitted plans for a 218,000-sf structure that was finally accepted last week in a close 3-2 vote by elected officials. Council members had to bend the city’s rules on the 100,000-sf cap for big-box retail projects.

Wal-Mart plans to break ground by year end on an estimated $21 million building, local construction industry estimators tell GlobeSt.com. The store will be part of the 423-acre Lost Lake Reserve subdivision Westshore is developing, scheduled to have 66 acres of commercial and office; 600 apartments; and 508 single-family homes. The site is south of state Road 50 and east of U.S. 27, about 25 miles west of Downtown Orlando.