News
Lake Wales Sees New Business Construction
Published: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Lake Wales official confirms construction is for Kohl's department store
George Aycrigg / News Chief - Construction equipment sits on the new site of a possible Koh's off US Highway 27 N in Lake Wales. Tuesday, March 09, 2010.
LAKE WALES - A Kohl's department store is currently under construction in Lake Wales and will provide much-needed jobs to many residents looking for work, a city official confirmed Tuesday.
J. Raymond Construction has broken ground on construction of the department store. A large amount of land on U.S. Highway 27 has been cleared with survey stakes in the ground and a tractor trailer on site.
Attempts to contact J. Raymond Construction on Tuesday for comment were unsuccessful.
According to Harold Gallup, director of economic development in Lake Wales, the project will take eight to nine months to complete. The store should be open between August and October.
"This is really good for Lake Wales and a solid sign for the market in Lake Wales," Gallup said. "This shows that our market is looking good and starting to come back around."
The property cleared for construction is surrounded by businesses that include the Holiday Inn Express, Publix and Home Depot. Kohl's will be located between Holiday Inn Express and Publix, which is located in the Shoppes on the Ridge shopping center.
Gallup said the Lake Wales market is poised to rebound from the economic problems the city has dealt with and is looking for a steady pace of improvement.
"The rebound is going to be slow and won't show in big numbers," Gallup said. "We can't get too euphoric about this move, but this is an extremely positive sign for the Lake Wales economy."
Kohl's has 44 stores in Florida, including stores in Lakeland and Kissimmee. There also are store locations in Brandon, Lutz and Orlando. Kohl's offers several different products, from furniture to clothes and electronics. The chain has more than 1,000 stores nationally.
Gallup said Lake Wales is looking to establish businesses that have staying power, even if they only offer minimal job opportunities.
"I would rather we go slow and steady with businesses that have 200 or 300 jobs," Gallup said. "If we try to land a business that brings in 1,000 jobs, but closes within two years, then that's 1,000 people that are back out looking for a job again."
charles.gonzalez@newschief.com
Tagged: Lake Wales, Kohl's, new business