CAPE CORAL, Fla. --- If you live in Cape Coral, you may have noticed quite a few Walmarts and Walmart-owned stores popping up.
The newest Walmart addition is being built on Pine Island Road, on Hibiscus Drive. Shoppers told Fox 4 they would embrace the addition, Friday. The Hibiscus Drive location joins the 5 stores already owned by the company in Cape Coral. Some shoppers said they would ditch the Walmart they currently go to for the convenient location. "I live closer here but my kids practice out on Pondella," said Jodie, one shopper.
Plans for a super center are being talked about on Pine Island Road, west of Chiquita, just a few minutes away from the Walmart Neighborhood Market and Sam's Club already on Pine Island. Neighbors we spoke to said they take it as a sign of a booming economy. "It's offering more jobs, so in that aspect, I think it's amazing," said Catherine, another shopper.
Why so many in the area? The development could mean big things to come in the Cape. "I think that's a sign of the fact that we've seen building permit numbers go up in the last couple of years," said Vince Cautero, Community Development Director Cape Coral. "We're looking at a very high number of building permits for single family homes this year."
According to Cautero, the store on Hibiscus would bring jobs to the community, even though some would prefer to see something else there. "We want to see a different type of store, variety, that's some of the comments my office hears," said Cautero.
The new store is set to open in August of 2016 and will employ around 95 people, according to Walmart representatives.
