Santa Rosa County to get its fourth Walmart as plans are hatched to open a Pace store

America's number one retailer's presence continues to grow in Santa Rosa County as plans are being discussed to open a Walmart Shopping Center in the county's north end at the corner of West Spencer Field and Berryhill roads.

A pre-application meeting was held Tuesday between Santa Rosa County Planning Department staff and Noah Keefe, who county records indicate is working on behalf of Foresite Group LLC based out of Waynesville, NC.

County Planning and Zoning Director Shawn Ward said Wednesday comments from the meeting were being compiled and would be posted publicly within a couple of days.

The arrival is indicative of where and how fast growth is occurring in Santa Rosa County. The new Walmart will be located approximately five miles north and west of the existing Walmart Super Center on US Highway 90 in Milton.

Though it is sometimes blamed for running local retailers out of business by undercutting their prices − a phenomenon that has come to be known as the Walmart Effect − the company boasts on its website of "creating opportunities and bringing value to customers and communities around the globe."

More: Pace of State Road 87 development has slowed following death of visionary Craig Kruse

Walmart operates more than 10,500 stores in 19 countries and employs 2.1 million associates around the world, with nearly 1.6 million of those in the U.S. alone, the website said.

If development plans go through, the store will be built on 6.26 acres formerly owned by Michael and Jerry Plant.

A Walmart Neighborhood Market is also slated for construction off of US 90 in Milton.  Plans call for that grocery to be built at 6275 U.S. Highway 90, the former home of a long vacated Bealls retail outlet. Walmart has received the OK to tear down the building that once housed Bealls so that it can erect a 60,724-square-foot Neighborhood Market in its place.

As in Milton, Walmart Supercenters already stand in Navarre and Gulf Breeze. Gulf Breeze also is home to an existing Walmart Neighborhood Market.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Walmart has launched plans to locate in North Santa Rosa County