BENTONVILLE, AR - Walmart’s plans for a new distribution center have been reborn following the announcement that the company was shuttering plans for its Merced, California location. The newly approved facility will be built in coastal Alabama, and may occupy as much as 2.6-million-square-feet of warehouse space. 

"We're excited about reaching this step in the process," Walmart’s Director of Corporate Communications Phillip Keene told AL.com. "We'll continue to work with state, county, city, and port officials closely and we thank them for their support so far."

The new distribution center, expected to add more than 500 jobs, recently gained approval from county officials for building and land disturbance permits, and construction is primed to start soon. According to AL.com, the project is currently estimated to cost $126.9 million, and will occupy 400 acres of rural property west of Mobile, Alabama, off of Interstate 10. In addition to the 2.6-million-square-feet of facility space, the property also contains 6,628-square-feet of accessory structures.

"[Walmart] went through an extensive site selection process and chose this site for a reason and for Walmart to make this type of investment in this location, they feel it's an advantageous site," Britton Bonner, a Mobile City Lawyer, told the source. "We hope to see continued growth."

When fully operational, the distribution center will likely attract more than 600 truckloads of goods per day from the nearby Port of Mobile. AL.com reported that the facility is expected to provide 550 full-time jobs. 

The city and county reportedly laced the deal with $2.3 million of public incentives each, with the county and state also adding additional tax abatements and incentives. In order to receive the full tax credit with the state, Walmart must maintain a certain level of employees from Alabama.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to take place next week, so stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more news as this story develops.

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