St. Petersburg officials admit they have no idea what they will do with the shuttered Midtown Walmart.
- Public meeting today on what's next after closure of Midtown Walmart
- Midtown Walmart shut down earlier in February
- City officials say they are open to ideas
But they are open to ideas.
The Midtown Walmart closed its doors during the first week of February, about a month ahead of schedule.
Residents near the Tangerine Plaza Neighborhood Market store, located at 1794 22nd Street South, will now have to look elsewhere for groceries, goods and prescription services.
Walmart officials said the closure is based on low financial performance along with a number of other factors. Shoppers in the Midtown area will have to travel to other markets or one of the closest Walmarts, at 34th Street and First Avenue N.
Meanwhile, city officials are trying to decide what's next for the troubled plaza.
The city is hosting a public meeting today at 6 p.m. to hear ideas from the public about what to do next with the empty storefront. The meeting is being held at the St. Petersburg College Douglas L. Jamerson, Jr. Midtown Center community room.
The center is located at 1300 22nd Street South.
Replacing the Walmart is bigger than Tangerine Plaza, city officials say.
It is ground zero in the city's efforts to turn Midtown around and restore the hundreds of jobs lost when Walmart abruptly closed.
The city had already put $2.2 million into Tangerine Plaza last year and this came three years after a string of efforts to bring Walmart to the location after Sweetbay supermarket closed.
St. Petersburg Rick Kriseman said Midtown has been a revolving door for corporate America, saying retailers move in with high hopes and then leave the area after a few years.
City officials say whoever ends moving into the space, a commitment to the area will be a requirement.