Shuttered Sam's Club near Lantana to soon become Home Depot
Home Depot is moving ahead with plans to renovate and open the shuttered Sam’s Club store near the I-95 and Hypoluxo Road intersection in unincorporated Palm Beach County near Lantana. The site, at 7233 N. Seacrest Boulevard, had been a Sam’s Club since 1989.
County commissioners approved a Home Depot request on July 19 to abandon portions of a 12-foot-wide utility easement that had stood in the way of the Atlanta-based company's plans to open a store at the long-empty Sam’s Club site. The store closed in January 2018; 191 jobs were lost.
"It is great anytime you can get an abandoned building back in business," said Lantana Mayor Karen Lythgoe. "They have already come in and met with us. They want to be active in our community."
More: My Sam’s Club is closing! What shall I do?
Staff recommended that the easement be abandoned, noting that all reviewing agencies and utility service providers approved it. The utility easement “served no present or future public purpose,” a staff report said.
Home Depot bought the 15-acre parcel for $26 million in August 2021. Alliance 7233 Seacrest LLC bought the Sam’s Club building in February 2021 for $17 million. Six months later, it sold it to Home Depot, realizing a profit of more than 50%.
The property is on the east side of I-95, just south of the Hypoluxo Road exit. There are few sites left in the county east of the major highway large enough to accommodate a new Home Depot. The region has seen explosive growth since 2018 when the Sam’s Club store closed.
Evelyn Fornes, senior manager for public affairs, said she expects the store to open by the end of August and is expected to employ about 200 workers. "It will also be good for people in the area as it is a bit of a hike to the closest Home Depot store," said Lythgoe.
Home Depot will work with the footprint of the Sam’s Club warehouse, a 135,268-square-foot building. The parcel has 800 parking spaces. Once the facility opens, it would be the county’s 14th Home Depot. The property's current assessment of $15.1 million is likely to increase.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County OKs Sam's Club to become Home Depot in Lantana
