MIAMI—After a small group appealed the City of Miami's Planning and Zoning Board's approval of a Walmart in Midtown Miami, the project was temporarily stalled. Now, retail giant has the official green light to develop another South Florida store after a six to four vote to deny the appeal.

"We are pleased with the Planning and Zoning Board's recommendation and look forward to serving our customers in Wynwood, Overtown, Allapattah and Downtown Miami by 2015,” Lorenzo Lopez, senior director of communications for Walmart, tells GlobeSt.com. “Our new store at Midtown will provide hundreds of new jobs and affordable grocery options to area residents who are now traveling up to 22 miles round trip to reach our nearest store."

Construction of the Midtown Miami Walmart retail store will create about 400 construction jobs and 350 retail positions. According to the retailer, local customers spent more than $85 million at Walmart last year and the retailer employs close to 400 residents.

The Walmart is planned for 3055 North Miami Avenue, on Midtown Miami's southern block, which was developed and zoned for a large format retail store. The Walmart will include a full-service grocery, garden center, pharmacy, and vision center. Gensler is designing the story, which includes street-level retail storefronts for additional retailers and off-street parking in a multi-level garage.

“One of the things that's changed for Walmart is that we've become more flexible in our approach to neighborhoods,” Steven Restivo, Sr. director of Community Affairs for Walmart, tells GlobeSt.com. “Midtown and Wynwood are two of the more dynamic neighborhoods in South Florida and in addition to providing jobs and affordable groceries, our store is designed to be a reflection of the surrounding community.”

Instant Insights /

Walmart Overcomes Appeal to Block Midtown Miami Store

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