While the Zoning Board of Review has granted Sam’s Club the necessary permits to demolish and then rebuild the Sam’s Club on Pace Avenue off Route 2, the company has not yet sought the required building permits to proceed with the work.

That’s not an indication the work won’t go forward.

In an e-mail last week, Christopher Buchanan, director of public affairs and government relations for Wal-Mart said the new store will “better accommodate our customers in the Warwick area.”

“The remodeled Sam’s Club will create approximately 85 new jobs and will provide thousands of dollars in increased tax revenue that will help fund vital city services in Warwick,” he said

At 114,000 square feet, the new Sam’s Club will be about 100 square feet smaller than the old one that closed this winter. It will have a tire and battery shop, which the former store didn’t.

The abrupt decision to close the former store led to speculation that the building was unsafe and that snow accumulation on the roof was a problem. The rumors reached the city Building Department where building inspector Ted Sarno requested the company to produce a structural engineering report.

“We would have never allowed it to be occupied if it was unsafe,” he said.

As the building was built as a Pace, Sarno reasoned it did not fit the design of a Sam’s Club and that went into the decision to rebuild.

The Zoning Board also approved a variance of parking requirements for 575 vehicles. The current layout has 506 spaces that would be reduced to 497 with the new building. The building sits on a 9.3-acre parcel.

Attorney K. Joseph Shekarchi handled the zoning petition.

He said the company is still waiting for Department of Environmental Management approval of the planned system to deal with storm water runoff.

Ward 8 Councilman Raymond Gallucci said a meeting with neighbors was held prior to the zoning board hearing and there were some concerns over flooding. From his perspective those issues have been addressed.

He observed that even during last year’s flood, flooding was not a problem.

According to testimony before the zoning board, the new building will not exactly follow the footprint of the old one and that construction of the new Sam’s Club should be completed by this time next year.