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Wal-Mart may buy old bowling alley

The retail giant wants to build a standalone grocery store on U.S. 19.

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published October 11, 2006

PINELLAS PARK - Wal-Mart is eyeing a defunct bowling alley in Pinellas Park as a possible site for one of the chain's standalone grocery stores.

Representatives for the retail giant have approached city officials about the possibility of building a standalone grocery store where Sunshine Bowl once stood at 6900 U.S. 19 N. The site is less than a mile from the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 8001 U.S. 19 N.

That supercenter, with its attached grocery, was once the largest in the discount chain. It's unclear where it stands since a new supercenter opened in St. Petersburg.

The bowling alley, a Pinellas Park fixture since it opened in 1958, was damaged during hurricanes Charley and Jeanne. Repairs were getting under way when a fire burned the roof and water used to put out the flames flooded the building. It was closed for good late last year.

The property was purchased in November by APP of Florida II LLC. APP also bought the adjacent motel and a company representative said in January both would be used for a retail outlet.

Neither Wal-Mart representatives nor officials from APP returned phone messages asking for comment.

Tom Shevlin, assistant city manager for Pinellas Park, confirmed Monday that Wal-Mart representatives "have spoken to one or two staff members" and city staff members have also talked with an engineer for the property.

But Shevlin cautioned that matters are in the very early stages and there is no guarantee that Wal-Mart would decide to build on the land. No predevelopment meetings have been held, he said.

A predevelopment meeting is the first official step developers take when seeking to build in Pinellas Park. They sit down with staff members from all departments to trade ideas and information. The goal is to ease the developer's job so that, once a plan is presented, few, if any, changes need to be made.

Pinellas Park spokesman Tim Caddell said Tuesday that the city has no documentation that Wal-Mart is interested in the property.

"Right now, there's nothing in writing, no application, nothing for sure," Caddell said. "Someone just came in and said they're interested in doing that (a grocery and a pharmacy) and basically, it's all hush-hush on Wal-Mart's part."

Despite its close proximity to the supercenter, the property is in a prime area. Just north is the Shoppes at Park Place shopping center. To the west is a reviving residential area with condos planned for the future. The site is also just south of Park/Gandy Boulevard with its flowing traffic, condominiums and apartments.

The grocery, if it materializes, would be a Pinellas vanguard of the company's "Neighborhood Markets," a fairly new concept for the retailer.

The company opened its most recent Florida Neighborhood Market in Orlando last July. A press release from that opening explained the Neighborhood Market concept as being a store designed to attract shoppers who do not want to fight the crowds and cope with the size of a traditional supercenter.

The Neighborhood Market features a "wide variety of products including an expanded selection of organic foods, fresh produce, deli foods, fresh meat and dairy items, health and beauty aids, one-half-hour photo developing service, drive-through pharmacy, liquor store, stationery and paper goods, pet supplies and household cleaning supplies," according to the press release.

As of May 2006, Wal-Mart employed 94,550 associates and owned and operated 136 supercenters, 46 discount stores, 39 Sam's Clubs, six distribution centers and 10 Neighborhood Markets in Florida.

[Last modified October 10, 2006, 19:46:50]