Proposed Walmart Gets Planning Board Date

Plans for a proposed Walmart Supercenter at Ringling Shopping Center will advance to the Planning Board now that the Development Review Committee signed off on the application.

The Planning Board will review the site plan on Nov. 14, said Courtney Mendez, senior planner for the City of Sarasota.

Walmart is proposing a 24-hour, 98,000-square-foot store to replace the Ringling Shopping Center that includes a vacant Publix and several stores that are due to leave the shopping center empty.

Walmart officially submitted its application and the Development Review Committee signed off at its Wednesday meeting to accept the application and forward to the Planning Board.

"It looks like you addressed all of our major concerns," Mendez said.

The Development Review Committee met with Walmart in June for a pre-application meeting to provide guidance to consultant CPH Engineers where the committee wanted Walmart to:

• incorporate design features to avoid a bland building, 
• improve the appearance of the entrance along Ringling Boulevard
• consider relocating the Sarasota County Area Transit bus shelter and installing an improved shelter

Walmart officials said earlier this year that construction would take a year, and the targeted opening date is in 2014. When open, as many as 250 to 300 people would be hired. 

This would be the first Walmart Supercenter in city limits if approved, and the second Walmart in city limits now that the Walmart Neighborhood Market opened in September.