CLEARLAKE >> After two years of planning, Walmart has decided to not pursue an expansion project for the store in Clearlake.
The news came as a surprise to local officials. City Manager Greg Folsom said the city was preparing to bring plans to the Planning Commission to review the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and all was going well in the process when he received the call that they were pulling out.
Folsom said Walmart decided to not follow through at this time “for business reasons.”
Director of Communications for Walmart Tiffany Wilson did not specify factors leading to the decision. She did, however, acknowledge the effort of city officials.
“We appreciate the support of city leadership, staff and many others as we worked through the potential development of this store expansion,” Wilson said.
She explained that Walmart will continue to introduce new services to the Clearlake location, such as Pickup and Pickup Today. They will also be implementing new mobile options and WalmartPay.
“We are improving the customer experience, providing greater convenience, and offering a broader assortment of products and services at affordable prices to our Clearlake customers,” Wilson said.
Walmart has been operating in the City of Clearlake for over 20 years and made various changes over that span, including a recent project to improve the appearance inside the store.
The expansion would have increased square footage by 39,000, to a total of 148,258. Other aspects of the expansion plan involved energy efficient lighting, new refrigeration, water-conserving technology, new floor space dedicated to general merchandise and the addition of a full-service grocery department with a bakery and deli.
Store were also slated to change to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Whether or not the Walmart will return to the expansion project at a later date is unknown at this time.
“Walmart is always looking for new opportunities and is focused on meeting the changing needs of our customers, as well as new innovations to simplify how our customers shop,” Wilson said.
Although Walmart has backed out of the expansion plans, Folsom feels the city will still be in good shape for development with the increase of interest in commercial projects.
“I think it was going to be a very good project that would have created new jobs, but with or without the expansion project, the City of Clearlake is getting a lot of interest for new commercial projects and I am very optimistic about Clearlake’s retail future,” Folsom said.
