Wal-Mart Plans 450,000 SF in Two Supercenters

CLERMONT, FL-After two years of wrangling with local government officials and area residents over development sites, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has submitted plans to area agencies for a pair of 225,000-sf stores about 10 miles apart. One will be set in Clermont, FL and the other at the 728-acre Cagan Crossings subdivision in the unincorporated Four Corners region of U.S. 27, about 30 miles west of Downtown Orlando.

The close proximity of the locations is causing some residents and brokers to see an overkill strategy on the local retail market by Wal-Mart, according to a published report. Construction is expected to begin by first quarter 2004 on both stores.

Wal-Mart officials couldn’t be reached at the store’s headquarters in Bentonville, AR to learn the cost of the projects. But area construction industry estimators familiar with past Wal-Mart ventures tell GlobeSt.com the retailer could build the stores for about $50 per sf or a total $11.25 million for each location.