A new Walmart opened its doors Wednesday morning, breathing some life back into a largely vacant stretch of Independence Boulevard but leaving another empty big box store about 1 1/2 miles away.

The 148,500-square-foot store replaces the defunct Amity Gardens Shopping Center, at the corner of Independence Boulevard and Pierson Drive in east Charlotte. The Walmart opened after a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Mayor Anthony Foxx.

But city leaders said challenges remain for the east side of Charlotte, including what to do with the now-vacant former Walmart location on Eastway Drive, near Central Avenue. That store closed this week.

Patsy Kinsey, a Charlotte city councilwoman whose district includes the former Walmart on Eastway, said she's met with the shopping center's owners, who are looking for a new tenant.

"They are out there actively recruiting," said Kinsey.

The new Walmart was announced more than five years ago. But construction was delayed, as Harbor Freight Tools didn't want to vacate its lease early, and chemicals dumped on the site by a former dry-cleaning business complicated construction.

The stretch of road that houses the new Walmart has seen numerous businesses close as Independence has been widened and converted to an expressway. That's made it harder to access businesses. The next phase of the widening will begin soon, converting Independence to an expressway for another 1.6 miles, to Wallace Road.

That has already prompted the closure of nearby businesses such as Compare Foods and T.J. Maxx in Independence Shopping Center near Idlewild Road, and demolitions of several businesses between North Sharon Amity and Idlewild roads. The state will ultimately demolish an estimated 30 businesses to make way for the wider expressway.

Transit is issue at new site

The newly built Walmart store employs about 300 workers, the retailer said. About 85 of those are new positions; the remainder are largely transfers from the former store. Wal-Mart Stores said the average wage for its store associates in North Carolina is $12.39 an hour.

John Autry, a City Council member whose district includes the new store, praised the new jobs but said transportation issues still need to be addressed.

"A real drawback I see at this point is the other location on Eastway is accessible by public transportation," he said.

Buses run express routes along Independence, without stopping between uptown Charlotte and Sharon Amity Road.

Autry said he and others are working with the Charlotte Area Transit System to establish some sort of shuttle system to make the store more accessible to workers and residents.

"That's something that needs to be addressed right away," said Autry.