A little less than a year ago, the Walmart on Lafayette's northside closed its doors. Many were left upset about its closing. Others were concerned about the eyesore the empty business would cause.

While the parking lot of the Walmart currently sits empty, plans are in the works to develop the property.

Lafayette developer John Ford, CEO of the POD Group, says work is underway to transform the old Walmart into an industrial hemp facility where hemp will be grown and processed.

"My partners and I said we need to do something, so we began to look at what are the possibilities, what can we do to take that asset and bring it back into commerce," Ford told KATC TV-3.

The facility would create about 2,500 jobs and generate about $216 million in revenue.

The only issue right now is funding. Ford's company is still working on securing investors and $10 million to fund the project.

"It's the beginning of a movement, and we have had several meetings," said Ford. "As we continue to meet, the movement gets stronger and stronger."

 

 

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