By Brenna R. Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FLORENCE - A new Wal-Mart Supercenter designed to look like a city streetscape will be built in Florence less than a mile from the existing store.

The new Supercenter will be on 50 acres on Houston Road just south of Wal-Mart's current location.

"It will be a very attractive Wal-Mart Supercenter," said Rick Lunneman, Florence Community development director. "This is going be a first-class building, that will have kind of a lifestyle-center type appearance."

Florence has been working with Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer and the nation's largest grocer, for almost a year on the location and the future of its current building near Spiral Drive off Houston Road.

Construction could begin by early fall, said Steve Miller, with Vandercar Holdings, the project's developer.

The building will be 203,000 square feet and there will be six out parcels for restaurants or other stores.

"They are determined to build a Super Wal-Mart," said Florence Mayor Diane Whalen, "as a retail center, we were advised by our consultant Stan Eichelbaum, that you want a Super Wal-Mart if there is going to be one. It's an important part of the retail community."

Florence has hired Eichelbaum, president of Marketing Developments Inc. in Cincinnati, to help market the city and bring in more retailers.

Florence also wants to make sure that the old 118,000-square-foot Wal-Mart does not sit vacant.

"We are concerned about having a vacant building. In a good portion of the country, Wal-Mart does not have a good reputation with leaving a building vacant and moving down the street," Lunneman said, "they are trying to reverse that reputation."

The city negotiated an extensive rehab for the building, including adding brick facing and improving the traffic flow of the parking lot. If it is sold, the new owners will have to make the improvements.

"It will not look like the building it looks like now," Lunneman said. "It will clean it up and make it a little more modern."

The city is also working to minimize the traffic impacts on Houston Road, Whalen said.

"There is already traffic on Houston Road going to the existing Wal-Mart," she said. Houston Road already has a curb cut at the site and a traffic light will be added.

The site is already zoned for commercial use so Wal-Mart will not have to go through the zone change process. The site also keeps retail concentrated along Houston Road instead of spreading it out over the county, Whalen said.

The site does have design restrictions as a result of a zone change lawsuit several years ago, said Kevin Wall, Florence zoning administrator. The building will have to be partially brick, and there are restrictions on the type and size of signs.

The main Wal-Mart building will be made to look like separate several store fronts.

"I think it's a design that has a lot of facets," Miller said, "the faÁade will be broken up so it doesn't look like just one building."

There are six out parcels on the site and a 10-acre site for sale behind the Wal-Mart, Miller said. Developers are talking to Cheddar's and Johnny Carino's restaurants, though they have not signed.

Cheddar's, a casual dining chain, has a restaurant in Lexington and Louisville. Johnny Carino's, a country Italian chain, has a restaurant in Lexington and one opening in Frankfort.

Wal-Mart developers will have to file a site plan and have the design reviewed, a process that should take about 30 days, Wall said.

The Wal-Mart Supercenter will be fourth in Northern Kentucky. A Supercenter is under construction in Fort Wright and set to open in September and the current Wal-Mart in Alexandria is slated to be expanded. There is already a Supercenter in Dry Ridge.

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Email Bkelly@enquirer.com