A Walmart Supercenter will generate about 300 permanent jobs and a new revenue stream for the city's East Tampa redevelopment efforts.
The supercenter is under construction at 1720 E. Hillsborough Ave. on the approximately 12-acre site of the former Abraham Chevrolet dealership. It has been a neighborhood blight for nearly a decade. County records show
Walmart paid about $4.9 million for the property.
A grand opening for the national discount chain is expected in spring 2015.
"This is such a win-win for East Tampa," says Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who attended a groundbreaking with Walmart officials and Tampa City Councilman Frank Reddick. "This has been a food desert for a long time. Folks in East Tampa have had to rely on convenience stores and getting charged exorbitant prices for food that's not necessarily healthy."
Now the mayor says there will be an alternative that residents can reach by walking or taking public transportation. And the jobs will "give economic security to people who need it," the mayor says.
Already Walmart officials say about 150 local, temporary jobs are expected during construction. These will be from local sub-contractors and some additional labor needed as the work proceeds.
The approximately 120,000-square-foot store is somewhat smaller than most supercenters but it will offer groceries, including fresh produce, meats, deli items and bakery goods, plus merchandise typically sold at the discount chain store. There also will be a discount pharmacy with a drive-up window.
Eco-friendly building practices will be followed by the project's contractor,
Satterfield & Pontikes Construction. "The buildings that have been torn down will be (reused) to lay the foundation for the parking lot," says Glen Wilkins, Walmart's senior manager for public affairs and government relations.
Water recycling and mulching of removed trees also will be done.
While Walmart sometimes draws spirited criticism from people who say it hurts small businesses, many in East Tampa hope this project, and its tax revenues, spurs more development.
"We've been asking for this for many, many years," Reddick says. "It's not every day we get a major business to come into this community. Now that we have it we're going to have to support it. We're going to have to tell our friends and neighbors that this is a valuable product for our community."
A portion of property tax revenues collected within East Tampa must be re-invested in infrastructure projects that will encourage new investments. The district is bordered by Hillsborough Avenue, Interstates 275 and 4, and the city limit. In its best year, the district had about $6 million to spend.
After the real estate crash and plummeting property values, the coffers are now drained. The new supercenter will open the spigot again. A Walmart store on Gandy Boulevard offers a comparison for potential East Tampa property tax revenues
County property appraisal records show the Gandy site is valued at about $8.6 million and generated about $183,000 in property taxes for 2013. The Hillsborough site is valued at about $1.7 million and its previous owner paid about $40,000 in property taxes for 2013.
"This will be an amazing transformation of what had been an eyesore," says Buckhorn. "Let's get this on the tax rolls. Let's go dig some dirt."
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