Walmart to Become Supercenter with Expansion

Avon may soon have another option for grocery shopping.

Early plans for an expansion of Avon's were shown at Wednesday's planning commission meeting.

Walmart plans to add 32,000 square feet to the store, located at 35901 Chester Road, making it a Supercenter with a grocery section that will include produce, meat, dairy and a bakery. When completd, the store would be 183,000 square feet.

Justin Dietz of KS Associates, a civil engineering firm, gave an informal presentation to the commission, showing artists renderings of what the building will likely look like, and a rough map of the property with the expansion.

Much of the expansion will be south of the building towards Interstate 90, Dietz said. There would also be some expasion out the front of the building, facing south.

Jose Hernandez, who was making the presentation with Dietz, said that the look of the building will not change much, but there will be updates to reflect Walmart's current logo and style.

The informal presentation allows a property owner or developer a chance to inform the planning commission of development plans, and receive feedback, without putting plans up for a vote yet.

"We'll be submitting documents in May so we can be on the agenda for the June meeting," Dietz said.

If plans are approved, Dietz said, construction will begin on Oct. 1. Part of the land to be cleared is a warm-weather habitat for the Indiana Fruit Bat, an endangered species, he explained, and the land cannot be cleared between April 1 and Sept. 30. Indiana Fruit Bats hibernate in caves or abandoned mines in fall and winter. 

The expansion project would be completed in 2013.

Avon would be the third Walmart Supercenter in Lorain County, the other two being in Elyria and Oberlin.