Riverview is one step closer to having a Sam's Club superstore. And Seminole and St. Petersburg in Pinellas County each may have one as well.

DeBartolo Development has sold a parcel of land at the Riverview Bell Plaza to Sam's Club for $12.7 million, part of a broader shopping development in the area.

The project comes as Sam's Club parent Wal-Mart Stores Inc., invests heavily into developing new sites, renovating stores with new designs and generally working to expand its dominance among discount stores.

The new Sam's Club would be at U.S. 301 and Big Bend Road just east of Interstate 75, DeBartolo officials said. The project is part of 53 acres that DeBartolo bought five years ago from the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg.

"There were a lot of sensitive land issues to work through," said Edward Kobel, president and chief operating officer of DeBartolo Development.

The site involved a range of wetlands but was appealing, Kobel said, with close proximity to freeways and approval for more than 18,000 new homes within a five-mile radius.

The site now has several shopping areas, and the Sam's Club development already includes a Walgreens and Burger King. It soon could have a Bridgestone tire store, Chase bank branch and other stores.

Across the Bay, Sam's Club is looking at a 34th Street North site in St. Petersburg for its first warehouse store in that area, according to documents filed with St. Petersburg's Development Services Department.

As for a new Sam's Club north of there in Seminole, there are still many details to work out, Kobel said.