Despite the Farmland fire and subsequent job loss to the community, plans for a new Home Depot and Super Wal-Mart on Albert Lea’s east side are moving ahead, say those close to the plans.

Thursday, August 16, 2001

Despite the Farmland fire and subsequent job loss to the community, plans for a new Home Depot and Super Wal-Mart on Albert Lea’s east side are moving ahead, say those close to the plans.

&uot;Home Depot is progressing very quickly,&uot; said City Manager Paul Sparks. &uot;I haven’t heard anything to the effect that the company is having any second thoughts about the Albert Lea location.&uot;

Workers are still preparing for construction on the Home Depot site, located near the intersection of County Road 46 and I-35, said developer John Chadwick. The store is aiming for a June 2002 opening.

&uot;Everything is right on schedule – maybe even a couple of days ahead with all the nice warm weather Albert Lea has been getting,&uot; Chadwick said from his Bloomington office.

Chadwick said he closed the sale of the property with Home Depot representatives just days before the Farmland fire. But the tragedy will have no effect on the prospects of the giant home-improvement retailer, he said.

&uot;Home Depot is the kind of store that will draw customers from all over the regions,&uot; Chadwick said. &uot;I don’t think the loss of a few hundred jobs is enough to affect it.&uot;

While Home Depot is cruising ahead with the new store, Wal-Mart officials are still working on a development agreement with the city, Sparks said. The company has not indicated any change in its plans to build in Albert Lea.

&uot;I’m not sure where they’re at with their site plans right now, but they’re still at the table with the city. Albert Lea is too good of a market for them to lose interest,&uot; Sparks said.

The city council approved a preliminary plat for the site in December. But since the approval, the project has been stuck on the development agreement, which outlines who will pay for improvements such as utilities extensions, road construction and other improvements.

City Planner Bob Graham said he had no new information on the progress of the development agreement with Wal-Mart officials, but did say he hadn’t heard from the company in several months.

Brent Keller, general manager of the existing Wal-Mart location at Skyline Mall, doesn’t think the Farmland fire was big enough on a national scale to catch the attention of Wal-Mart Supercenter planners.

&uot;The Wal-Mart Foundation made a nice donation, but other than that, I don’t think the fire makes any difference as far as building a new superstore,&uot; Keller said.

Developer Tom Leland, an owner of the property Super Wal-Mart has in mind for its new store, said the Farmland fire is not a factor in the construction or timing of the store. He remains optimistic Super Wal-Mart will build in Albert Lea.

&uot;Rumors are always out there. Other new operations in town like Applebee’s are moving ahead with their plans. Kwik Trip committed to doing their expansion.&uot; Leland said. &uot;As far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed.&uot;

Sparks admitted that the Farmland fire has generated many rumors of the city’s demise. He said it stems from the Albert Lea’s history as a one-employer town, but that the city has moved past that.

&uot;The Farmland situation is important, but it’s not the end of the world. Albert Lea is going to be just fine,&uot; he said.