Walmart projects progressing

LECANTO — A county with one Walmart Supercenter could soon have three.
The Citrus County Commission on Tuesday is expected to approve an $831,000 contract to construct a water line from Sugarmill Woods to Cardinal Street and U.S. 19 that would allow Walmart to build a $16 million supercenter.
A federal grant is paying for $750,000 of the project, with Walmart picking up the rest.
The company’s building permit for the store is pending approval of the water line. Central water and sewer must be in place before the store can open, according to the permit.
Meanwhile, Walmart hopes to break ground by year’s end on a supercenter at the corner of County Roads 491 and 486 in Lecanto.
Joe Cappuccilli, vice president of Gulf to Lakes Corp., said the company plans to close on the purchase of 14 acres once Gulf to Lakes and the county have a finalized development agreement for the entire 40-acre parcel that is planned for a shopping center.
“They have shared with us they would like to break ground before the end of the year,” Cappuccilli said. “They’re trying to time completion of the store with the road-widening completion. They don’t want the road tore up while the store is trying to open.”
Gulf to Lakes is hoping to recover shopping center plans for the intersection that were abandoned in 2009 by Crosland LLC of North Carolina.
Gulf to Lakes, whose president is Stan Olsen, owns the property. Crosland’s plans for The Shoppes at Black Diamond, in the works for six years, were scuttled as the nation’s economy went into a
tailspin.
County officials are now negotiating a similar agreement with Gulf to Lakes.
“It’s all progressing,” Cappuccilli said. “We are in the process of working through the development agreement with the county.”
Chronicle reporter Mike Wright can be reached at (352) 563-3228 or mwright@chronicleonline.com.