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Walmart and city praise rapid permitting of dedicated delivery pilot in District 11
Summary
Walmart representatives and Councilmember Jaime Schultz thanked the city for expedited permitting that allowed a vacant store in District 11 to reopen as a dedicated delivery facility for top SKUs; Walmart said staff opened the site in less than 90 days and completed permitting in about a week.
Walmart representatives and city staff used a June 4 Dallas City Council meeting recognition to describe a public–private pilot that converts a vacant store in the Esparanda area of District 11 into a dedicated delivery facility.
Tina Benitez, a Walmart regional representative, told the council the company piloted the concept in the DFW innovation hub and that the city’s planning and permitting teams and the Dallas Now customer‑service group worked with Walmart to move the project from concept to operation in under 90 days. Benitez said the team navigated the city’s new electronic permitting system and "we're able to apply with your new electronic system, navigate them, get a permit in hand on a Monday evening at 5 and open on a Tuesday morning," adding the facility will focus on the top 10,000 SKUs customers order for delivery.
Councilmember Jaime Schultz thanked the planning and permitting staff, singled out Jim Shelton in Planning and Development for his role, and said the delivery model will employ people in a high‑poverty area of District 11 and allow some residents to walk to work. Councilmembers and the city manager invited planning staff to the dais for a photo and public recognition.
Nut graf: The exchange highlighted a case of expedited cross‑departmental permitting and coordination that city staff and Walmart said accelerated reuse of an existing retail site into a logistics/dedicated delivery operation. City staff credited interdepartmental coordination and the new electronic permitting workflow for the turnaround.
Ending: Officials documented the recognition on the record and said they would share details and photos of the planning team and partners.
