The new Walmart going in next to Pier Park is heavy underway and great progress can be seen on daily basis. If you remember the parcel where Walmart will be, you’ll probably remember it was largely vacant but bordered with tree cover. The tree cover was heavy enough so that you couldn’t really see around the corner at the Powell Adams and Back Beach Road intersection. Well, not so now!
I’ll be the first to admit, the construction of a new Walmart in Panama City Beach isn’t exactly a riveting sight to be seen. It’s sort of like watching grass grow during the early phases since a lot of the work being done for the first half of the construction tenure is ground work. But as things start moving, we’ll show you more pix – and we hope that as we follow the timeline, the progress will seem at least a little interesting. 😉
Aerial Google Map of what it was.
This was captured today and shows an image of what the property looked like before any construction was begun. The parking lot in the upper left corner belongs to Target, the neighborhood on the right of the image is Summerwood with Palmetto Trace being right across the street (Back Beach Road) from there.
Taken from the NE, looking SW
This image was taken from the south side of Back Beach Road, looking towards the south (technically), but facing a little west. The condo on the right in the image is Calypso with Aqua on the left. You can see a little smidge of Target on the far right middle of the image. This picture is likely looking over where an outparcel will be.
Looking at NW corner of the Walmart parcel
This image was taken to show how clearly you can now see around this corner. Before there was heavy tree covering hear and it was difficult to see around the corner. Now you can see straight across. I’m not one for cutting down a bunch of trees, but it is nice to be able to see through this intersection much more clearly now.
Another view of the NW corner of the Walmart parcel
This view shows you how clear that corner is now. When construction is complete, this particular intersection will be signalized and should be much safer than it now is.
View from the NW looking SE
In this image, we’re looking from the NW corner of the Walmart parcel next to Pier Park. The image is facing the southeast. The building you see in the very middle (next to the truck) is Legacy by the Sea, the you have Origin at Seahaven, Sunrise Beach then Emerald Beach Resort. You can see the vastness of the property in this image and just how much land has been cleared. We are likely looking over an outparcel in this shot.
The widened view down Powell Adams
As discussed, along with a new Walmart, Panama City Beach is getting an advanced treatment to Powell Adams Road that the CRA wouldn’t be able to perform for years. We’ll have an update on the completion of the South Thomas Drive CRA in a couple days, which will give you an idea of how this stretch of road will look and feel. For someone who just traveled the newly improved South Thomas Drive yesterday, we’ll be in for a real treat here. This shot shows the preparation for making the widening provisions.
Construction entrance to the project
Maybe this is the norm nowadays, but I thought this was particularly cool. They have a “zone” where exiting vehicles are washed while resting on a bed of large rocks to help minimize the amount of soil that exits the property and is deposited on the roadways.
Looking NE from the SW
This shot looks form the southwest looking towards the northeast. The water was actually from the legacy pond that has been formed over the years this property sat vacant. I’m not sure whether this will be used as a retention pond or if it will be filled in. This is the back part of the parcel.
PCBDaily 
I’d like to know why they cut down that long stretch of beautiful sand oaks and other native flora alongside the road. Was it just so we could see their egg-splat Walmart logo from the highway? Or was there some more practical or aesthetic reason? Since they are nuking and paving, I hope they at least do a nice job landscaping.
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I’ve met some nice local business owners there. Good luck to them & I’m sorry to this development.
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Wish that some of the unused space on Back Beach Road could be used to put in, at the very least, an ATM station for Wells Fargo Bank. Only locations on the Beach are the one on Thomas Drive, near Publix and the other out west near another Publix, probably closer to Sandestin than anyplace. Just need a branch of the bank, or an ATM station somewhere around Breakfast Point or between Breakfast Point and Lowe’s. Yes, I can always change banks and believe me I have thought about it.
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As a visitor to PCB, I appreciate the news and photos of developing business and changes to the area. Thanks, and I look forward to future updates.
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We are in New Jersey and own condos in P.C.B., therefore, we are so thankful
for the pictures!!! Your keeping us so well informed is so great!!! Do you know
an estimated projected completion date for the store?
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They are estimating the the construction will take 12 months from ground breaking – which happened about a month ago.
So, hopefully by April or May of 2013.
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will there now be two Walmarts or will the old one be shut down when the new one opens?
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Is there any known reason why they were allowed to clear every tree along the Back Beach Rd right-of-way. I thought the city rtequired a 50ft landscape buffer along BB Rd to remain, (similar to what we’ve seen lately by the other new-builds along the BB Rd)?
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Thyere will be stores fronting back beach road I was told, I wish they would put in a Walmart gas station.
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I don’t understand why we are giving so much attention to another Walmart. This little town has enough walmarts and dollar generals already. What we need are retailers and retail centers to attract higher income clientel. The goal should be to make PCB an attraction people of means want to visit, rather than a low rent budget vacation stop. Let’s get folks from Alys beach and Seaside to come our way instead of San Destin. And while we are at it let’s try to get a Macy’s and Fresh Market into PP North (if they ever break ground)
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I see it…… I see it & it looks just as your photos display the grounds. WOW, can’t wait for it to open so I can SHOP, twelve months will soon pass!
Actually, I think once it gets open people will like how it helps your economy & puts many who need jobs to work. It will also take some of the traffic away from the other Wal-Mart easing that areas load some. There are always just as many good things to say about something as some only see the bad. 🙂
Cathy/Tn. in PCB Fla.
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Just wondering, Is this going to be in addition to the W/M that is now there or a replacement for it.
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Hey David!
Two Walmarts!
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Thank you.
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It’d be lovely to see a Macy’s or even a Publix Greenwise Market come to Panama City. In the entire country, there are 3 Greenwise Markets and they all exist in Florida.
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Are they goin 2 close the other Wallyworld??
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So are you on the Wal-Mart payroll? You simply reitterate information anyone could find on the web without depth. What is the point?
Wal-Mart will hinder the idea of a “community” and replace decency with the bottom line.
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I work for Walmart and i am moving back to Panama City soon and i was wondering about when this new Walmart will be opening? Any help with this I would appreciate!
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This.Pier Park Walmart is hiring 200 people. And I am one of the 200. Thank goodness I will have a job that will last through the winter months. So many of our businesses close in the winter.
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